


The Fall

by rosensilence



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Armitage Hux Has Feelings, Enemies to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Hux loves the Finalizer, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, background stormpilot, canon compliant torture, he loves Starkiller Base too, kylo has the solo sass, kylo ren's family issues, no really the slowest of burns, the torture isn't shown or described, very slow burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-04-06 17:45:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 74,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14062098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosensilence/pseuds/rosensilence
Summary: When Resistance smuggler Kylo Ren is captured and brought aboard the Finalizer, General Hux gets more than he was expecting.  It isn't long before things are spiraling out of Hux's usually tight control.





	1. Chapter 1

General Hux looked at the field report that had just been delivered to his datapad and frowned.  It told the same tale as every field report of the last six months - the First Order had taken out some Resistance fighters, and the Resistance had taken out some First Order fighters.  Neither side could make any headway on the other, and the war had been reduced to a few small skirmishes in the airspace of pointless planets that Hux couldn’t even remember the name of.

It was all so horribly frustrating and, frankly, boring.

The Resistance was nothing, just a band of ragtag fighters that had come together under the banner of the illustrious General Leia Organa.  They had no cohesiveness, no discipline, no precision or plan, yet they were matching the First Order fight for fight. And the Galactic Senate were even worse.  At least the Resistance had some fight in them, unlike the Senate who just talked and talked, but never delivered results.

It would all change soon though, Hux knew.  In about three standard weeks, the fate of the galaxy was going to be forever changed by his genius.  Construction on Starkiller Base was moving swiftly, and Hux knew that this frustrating stalemate between the First Order and the Resistance was just the boring calm before the glorious storm that his finished super weapon would bring.

It was still immensely frustrating waiting for everything to happen though.  Hux, however, was a pragmatic man that saw the bigger picture, and he could wait.  There was no need to rush into unwise situations when things were so close to being finished.  He had his orders from Supreme Leader Snoke to do nothing more than poke at the Resistance occasionally, and that’s all that he would do.  It didn’t matter how much he wanted to take the Finaliser to the rumored Resistance base on D’Qar and blow the planet out of the sky just for something to do, he could wait.

It didn’t stop Hux from jumping on the comm unit when he saw an incoming call from Captain Phasma, however.

Phasma and her favorite battalion of Stormtroopers had been dispatched to Jakku a few days ago after reports had reached the First Order of increased Resistance activity on the junk world planet.  Jakku didn’t offer much to the galaxy, but it was the kind of place where a diamond might be found amongst the broken down Star Destroyers that littered the landscape. The idea that the Resistance might have found something worth finding was enough to send Phasma there.

Besides, if the recent inactivity was making Hux twitchy, it was making Phasma positively insane.  She needed something to blast at, and Resistance fighters were the best target around.

“This is Captain Phasma, requesting to speak directly to General Hux.”

For Phasma to be calling Hux directly, instead of sending in a field report was unusual. Maybe there was something on Jakku, after all.

“This is Hux.  What do you have for me, Captain?”

“I’m not quite sure sir,” Phasma said, her officer’s accent loud and clear over the comm unit.  “We found the Resistance fighters, but they’re not here alone.”

“What do you mean, Captain?  Who are they with?”

“They seem to be protecting a freighter and her crew, General.”

“A freighter?”  Hux closed his eyes for a second as a million uses for a freighter ran through his mind.  It was highly likely that the Resistance had found something on Jakku, maybe some sort of material or machinery part that was going to help them with whatever they were plotting.  “How many people have you found?”

“4 X-Wings and their pilots.  The freighter crew seems to be just one man and his droid.  He’s not wearing any Resistance uniforms that I’ve seen before.”

Operating without a crew, and not part of the Resistance?  “A smuggler?” Hux guessed.

“That would be my guess, sir.”

“Why are 4 X-Wings protecting a smuggler and his freighter out on Jakku?” Hux wondered out loud.  

“It’s not the usual behavior from the Resistance, sir.”

“Not at all, Captain.  Thank you for bringing this to my attention directly,” Hux replied.  

Finally, after six months of dancing around, something out of the ordinary had cropped up and on Jakku of all places.  Hux was pleased to see that the galaxy could still surprise him.

“What are your orders, sir?”

“Take the freighter and capture the smuggler.  Feel free to dispose of the Resistance pilots.”

Hux could hear Phasma’s smile from the other side of the galaxy.  “Excellent, sir. Shall we bring the freighter and the smuggler back to the Finalizer?”

“Yes.  We can search the freighter and find out what the smuggler knows.”

“As you wish, General.  We’ll be back with you shortly.”

Hux smirked.  “I have no doubt, Captain.  Try not to enjoy yourself too much.”

Hux cut the comm link and looked out across the bridge of the Finalizer.  Searching the freighter and questioning the smuggler was likely to be a good distraction for a couple of days and there might even be some good information to be found.  

“Mitaka, make preparations to receive a Resistance affiliated ship and prisoner.”

“Yes, General,” Mitaka said quickly from his position on Hux’s left.  “Shall I prepare the interrogation room too?”

Hux looked down at his datapad again and the long list of repetitive field reports it contained.  Just knowing that the hundreds of repetitive reports existed was enough to make Hux’s eyes roll into the back of his skull through boredom.  The Supreme Leader had asked Hux not to draw the Resistance’s attention beyond a small skirmish occasionally, but he wasn’t going to shy away from an opportunity that dropped into his lap like this.  

“Please do.  I’m sure that our prisoner will soon become acquainted with everything the Finalizer has to offer.”

**

It took Phasma and her Stormtroopers two days to return to the Finalizer.  When their transport ship and the commandeered freighter arrived Hux was waiting, his posture rigid and with not a single hair out of place.  The freighter was an old thing, a flat disk of mismatched paneling and guns that should have been out of commission decades ago. It looked like it would fall apart the second it hit light speed, yet for some reason the Resistance had been protecting it?

Curiouser and curiouser, Hux thought.

The transport opened and Phasma strode down the ramp, her striking entrance causing Hux to stand even straighter.  Although Hux was a genius strategist, he had little battle experience. His rise through the ranks of the First Order to general at the age of 27 had left him little time to truly experience the sights and smells of the battlefield, and for those experiences he relied on Phasma.  She wasn’t much older than he was, but she’d spent her adulthood running from victory in one battle to victory in the next and not only did she have the practical experience, but she knew every Stormtrooper under her command personally. Hux considered her insight and advice to be invaluable.

“General,” Phasma said, coming to an abrupt stop two feet in front of Hux and saluting.

“Captain Phasma,” he replied with a nod of his head.  “I see that you were successful in capturing the freighter.”

“Yes sir.  We have the smuggler and his droid, too.”

“Excellent,” Hux said lightly.  “What of the Resistance pilots?”

“They seemed to be anticipating our arrival, and one was able to escape before we shot down the other three X-Wings,” Phasma explained.  Even without seeing her face, it was obvious by her tone of voice and body language that she was angry at herself for allowing one to escape.

As a perfectionist himself, Hux could understand her frustration.

“No matter, Captain.  I’m sure the one that got away will report back to the Resistance that we captured their smuggler.  It doesn’t hurt to remind them once in awhile that we’re still here and still watching them.”

“Yes, sir,” Phasma said with a nod of her head.  She didn’t sound convinced.

“Now, what about this smuggler and his droid?”

Phasma turned around and beckoned back to the transport.  A Stormtrooper came down the ramp carrying an angrily beeping droid in a net, which he hastily dropped onto the floor.

“It’s an R2 unit,” Hux said, taking in the appearance of the still beeping droid.  “Is the net necessary?”

“It keeps on attacking my troops with a cattle prod,” Phasma replied.  “The net is more than necessary.”

Hux glared down at the droid.  He didn’t speak binary, but he didn’t need to in order to hear how annoyed and angry the R2 unit was.  He’d heard of droids being loyal to their masters before, but not to this degree. 

“Very well,” he said.  “We’ll keep the net for the time being.  And the smuggler?”

With one more flick of her wrist, two Stormtroopers emerged half dragging a man between them.  They had one arm each, and it appeared that the smuggler could barely walk on his own. Sedated, probably, Hux thought.  The Stormtroopers dumped the smuggler in front of Hux and he quickly sank to his knees, his head bowed and shoulders down.

Hux made sure that the Stormtroopers had their blasters on the man before he approached.  The R2 unit was frantic at this point, but Hux did his best to ignore its whining.

“Welcome to the Finalizer,” Hux said.  The man flinched, but didn’t look up. It was enough of a reaction to show that he was listening, so Hux continued on.  “This is the flagship of the First Order fleet, a nearly 3,000 meter long, Resurgent-class Star Destroyer. It is crewed by over 80,000 of the First Order’s finest…”

“If you’re going to carry on like this for much longer, please shoot me now.”

Hux’s speech was interrupted by the deep and smooth voice of the prisoner that still knelt at his feet.  There was a slight slur to his words that showed that yes, Hux’s earlier guess that he’d been sedated was probably correct, but there was still an alertness there in the bite of his words.

Hux leaned down and with one thin, yet strong gloved hand, roughly grabbed the man’s chin and lifted his head to face him.  The smuggler was younger than Hux expected - probably younger than Hux, even. Strands of his shaggy black hair were sticking to his forehead, and there was a spark in his deep brown eyes that Hux would have had beaten out of any subordinate of his.  

The slight smirk that spread across the man’s full lips was another thing Hux wouldn’t have tolerated from his subordinates.

“General Hux,” the man said slowly.  “I’m honored that you chose to greet me yourself.”

“You recognize me?” Hux asked, slightly surprised.

“First Order propaganda holovids are seen by more than the First Order,” the smuggler replied.  “Aren’t many redheads in the First Order, I bet.”

Hux frowned.  He wasn’t a fan of the holovids, but they were an important part of the First Order’s process.  The Empire had been an enigma to the common man. Between the mysterious Emperor that never revealed himself and the masked Darth Vader that nobody had even known was human, the Empire had not only been something to fear, but it had been an unknown quantity that nobody could understand.  The First Order was to be feared too, but also understood. The obviously human nature of its senior officers was something that the First Order took pride in, and as the young, passionate and vibrant commander of the Finalizer, Hux was front and center in the propaganda videos.

“Well, if you know who I am then I can disperse with my boring introduction and skip straight to yours,” Hux said, gripping the man’s chin tighter.  “Who are you?”

The R2 unit was so agitated it was practically bouncing.  The noise distracted the man for a moment, but a pinch from Hux’s fingers soon had his attention back on Hux.  “I could tell you about my ship, but it wouldn’t sound as impressive,” the man replied.

Hux dropped to one knee so that he was face to face with the man.  Hux wouldn’t normally waste his time with an obstinate prisoner like this, after all he had staff that were experts in obtaining information by any means necessary, but it was the most excitement he’d had in months.  The fact that the man was attractive and exactly Hux’s type didn’t hurt either. “Your name will suffice for now.”

“Kylo,” he said.  “Kylo Ren.”

“Well, Mr. Ren, would you mind telling me why you were on Jakku with a group of Resistance fighters?”

“They were Resistance fighters?” Ren said with mock surprise.  “I had no idea!”

“Come now, Mr. Ren,” Hux said smoothly, “you don’t expect me to believe that, do you?”

Ren shrugged his shoulders.  “I don’t really care what you believe.”

“Don’t worry Mr. Ren, I’m sure that after a few days of Finalizer hospitality you will be doing everything you can to make me believe you,” Hux replied.

Hux stood up and pulled his hand away from Ren, sending the smuggler to the floor with the force of his gesture.  Hux turned to Phasma. “Take him to the cells, and put the R2 unit with the other droids to have its memory banks wiped later.”

“Yes sir!” Phasma replied, motioning for the same three Stormtroopers as before to take hold of Ren and the droid again.

The two troopers quickly pulled the still dopey Ren to his feet, and the third trooper tentatively picked up the still netted, still angrily beeping R2 unit.

“That’s quite a droid you have there,” Hux said.

“You have no idea,” Ren replied.  “R2-D2,” he said, turning to the droid, “play nice and remember what I said, okay?”

R2-D2 made two beeps that sounded suspiciously like “OK” to Hux’s ears, and then quietened down as it was carried away by a still wary Stormtrooper.

“Don’t start the interrogation until I give the order,” Hux said to Phasma.  “I want to speak to the prisoner again myself, first.”

“I’m sure you do,” Phasma said.

Hux knew it was impossible to hear someone wink, but he was pretty sure that he heard Phasma wink as she’d spoken.  “Watch yourself Captain, we may be friends but I’m still your superior.”

“My apologies, General,” she said, amusement still clear in her voice.  “I’ll see that our guest is comfortable and ready for you tomorrow.”

Hux nodded and watched as Phasma strode away, following her Stormtroopers to the prison cells.  There was a strange feeling growing in Hux’s stomach and after a few moments pause, he was finally able to label it as excitement.  It had been a long time since Hux had had a reason to be excited about the next day, and the monotony had been slowly grinding him down.  As he walked back to the bridge there was an extra spring in his step that only anticipation could cause.


	2. Chapter 2

Hux didn’t rush to the prison cells the next day and instead he followed his usual morning routine.  He took his usual breakfast in the officer’s mess, and then did his usual visits to the various command centers that were within walking distance of the bridge.  Phasma fell into step with him on his journey back to the bridge, and Hux did his best to try and ignore her innuendo laden comments about interviewing tied up prisoners.

Phasma was an invaluable asset to the First Order, the Finalizer and to Hux himself.  Unfortunately for Hux she also knew him too well, including his taste in men, and seemed to take a perverse pleasure out of teasing the General until his cheeks flushed as red as his hair.

He wished he could throw her out of an airlock.

Hux spent a couple of hours on the bridge, monitoring the progress on Starkiller Base and reading more boring field reports on his datapad.  By the time he’d finished all of the reports and boredom had begun to sink into his bones, it was lunchtime. 

He took a brief working lunch with Mitaka, the two of them discussing the recent Galactic Senate resolutions with the appropriate level of disdain, and then he made his way to the prison cells.  As per Hux’s instructions, nobody had interacted with the smuggler other than to bring him food and drink. Hux wasn’t expecting a few hours of isolation to have loosened Ren’s tongue enough for him to voluntarily spill all of his secrets to Hux, but Hux was hoping that it would be enough to make him talk at all, even if it was dripping with the same sarcasm and sass as the evening before.

Nobody ever spoke back to Hux.  Even Phasma’s teasing only went so far before her military training kicked in and she bowed to her General.  Hux, however, enjoyed a good mental spar occasionally. It had been something he’d excelled at during his days at the academy, and something he’d used to his advantage to manipulate people to his side.  

Hux may not have been the strongest dog in the fight, but he was the one with the fiercest bite.

Hux was led to the cell containing the smuggler by a Stormtrooper, FN-2187, if he recalled correctly.  The designation stuck in his mind as he was one of Phasma’s potential pet projects - a new trooper, fresh from conditioning, that showed immense promise.  Phasma usually picked a handful whenever a new batch of troopers arrived on the Finalizer and would follow their career progression for a few months before handpicking them for her own battalion.  Maybe one day soon, FN-2187 would join them.

FN-2187 opened the cell and after reassurance from Hux that the General didn’t need a security detail with him, quickly left Hux alone with the prisoner.

Hux was surprised to see that the smuggler appeared to be waiting for him.  He was sat on the hard and uncomfortable excuse for a bed that each cell was equipped with, with his back against the wall, one long leg stretched out and the other folded at the knee.  His head was turned to the cell entrance, his face schooled into a calm expression that seemed to ask what took Hux so long to arrive.

Hux stepped inside the cell with the confidence of someone who ruled the galaxy, and while they were on the Finalizer, he did.  It was his ship, his rules and his world. Hux projected an air of calm he didn’t quite feel, and arranged his lips into his best sneer as he appraised his prisoner fully.

Those legs really were sinfully long, Hux thought.  They were made to seem even longer by the clinging material of the pants Ren wore, the thickness of his thighs highlighted by the blaster holster, now empty of course, that wrapped around his right thigh.  His shirt was white and thin, with an open collar that showed the long elegant neck beneath it, and fitted well enough to hint at the muscles that made up his chest and arms. The look was topped off by a black leather vest and ankle length boots.

Ren really was Hux’s type.  Hux knew that if Ren had come to the Finalizer as a petty officer, his tall frame clad in the regulation black of the First Order’s uniforms, with well polished knee high boots and his shaggy hair swapped for a military cut, Hux would have sought him out, fucked him, and then had the transfer forms sending him to another Star Destroyer finished before the night was out.

Instead, Kylo Ren was a smuggler, a Resistance sympathizer and Hux’s prisoner.  Nothing more. He’d look good in the uniform though, Hux thought. Ren looked like black was his color, although maybe the longer hair would be a better fit for him than a precise military cut like Hux’s.  It looked just the right length and thickness to be pulled, hard, as Hux’s cock slipped past those full lips.

Hux was pulled out of those delicious thoughts by the sound of Ren smirking at him.

“Did you have a good night’s sleep?” Hux asked.

“Wonderful,” Ren deadpanned.  “The hospitality of the First Order is overwhelming.  I especially love these concrete beds. It’s like sleeping on air.”

“I’m glad that everything meets your approval.”  There was no place to sit within Ren’s bare cell, so Hux remained standing, his back poker straight and head held high.  His stance meant that he was looking down his nose at the seated Ren.

Both literally, and figuratively.

“How is this going to work?” Ren asked.  “Are we going to have a nice friendly conversation before the torture begins?  I’m not going to give you what you want, either way.”

“And what exactly is it that you think I want?” Hux asked.

Ren paused.  Hux could tell that there was an answer that immediately came to Ren’s mind, but it was an answer that the smuggler obviously didn’t want to voice.  Hux was sure that Ren’s spoken answer was a lot more than banal than the one he pushed away. “Information on the Resistance,” Ren said.

“That is always useful,” Hux agreed.  “I don’t think that you’re going to give me any, though.”

“I have nothing to give,” Ren lied.  “So, are we back to friendly conversation then?”

Hux smirked.  Friendly conversation had never been something he’d ever been good at, or something he’d ever attempted.  As the son of Commander Brendol Hux, a key figure in the rise of the Empire, Hux had always had a target on his back.

The problem with names as well known and respected as Hux was that the people who lauded your achievements and admired your father, were the same people that plotted your downfall and wanted your position.  Hux had been more than aware of the knives that always hovered inches away from his back during his time at the academy, and he quickly learnt how to be friendly, without ever actually being friendly.

The closest he’d ever had to a friend, to someone that he could talk to about irrelevant topics and share a joke with, was Phasma.  She was only safe because Hux knew that she had no interest in leading the First Order and was content with her Stormtroopers and waging war on anyone who crossed her path. 

“Where did you find that ship?” Hux asked.  “It’s probably as old as your father.”

Ren’s posture stiffened slightly, but his mask of cool indifference didn’t crack.  “Older, probably. She gets the job done though.”

“And what is that job?  Smuggling weapons? People?”

Ren shrugged.  “Whatever people will pay for.”

“People will pay for the junk on Jakku?”

“One man’s junk is another man’s missing spaceship part,” Ren replied.  

“Just like one man’s smuggler is another man’s Resistance fighter,” Hux said pointedly.

Ren paused.  For a split second, something that looked like relief passed across his face.  “I’m not a Resistance fighter. Their color scheme doesn’t suit me.”

“No,” Hux agreed.  “I don’t think you are a Resistance fighter.  I don’t buy that you’re a simple smuggler either though.”

“Well, what do you think I am then?  You’re running out of options.”

Hux thought for a few seconds.  The longer the conversation went on, the more convinced he was that Ren was no smuggler.  His way of speaking and his gestures were too polished and refined for someone that spent their lives dealing with the scum of the galaxy.  He didn’t buy that Ren was just a low level Resistance fighter either, as Ren seemed far too at ease and amused by the verbal sparring with Hux.

Hux made a mental note to dig out the limited files the First Order had on the senior members of the Resistance.  He doubted he’d find Ren there, even if he was a Resistance leader, but it was the only solution he could think of.

He didn’t want to voice that idea to Ren though, not yet.  “Well, that is the question, isn’t it? What place does the galaxy have for a man like you?”

“What place does the galaxy have for any of us?” Ren asked.  “What led you to a life in the First Order?”

That was easily answered, Hux thought.  “I believe in the First Order. The galaxy needs order, not the chaos and so-called freedom of the New Republic.”

“You truly believe that, don’t you?” Ren asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“I do,’ Hux responded truthfully.  “What do you believe in, Ren?”

Ren thought for a few seconds before he answered.  “Fame, fortune and glory, of course.”

“The mantra of a smuggler,” Hux said with a sneer.  “You’re committed to that lie, aren’t you?”

Ren laughed.  It was a slightly self conscious laugh, as if it was something Ren didn’t do very often and he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the action, but it was a laugh all the same.  It made the man’s entire face light up, and Hux drank in the sight of those deep brown eyes dancing with joy. 

He quickly reigned his laughter back in before speaking again.  “Aren’t we all lying a little, General? 

“Some of us more than others,” Hux agreed.

“I wonder what you’re lying about,” Ren said.

“I think that the topic of conversation is your lies, and not my own.”

“Oh, but yours are so much more interesting.”

Hux straightened his gloves.  They were already perfectly straight, but doing so was a nervous tick that Hux could never control.  It seemed to have a second effect though, as Ren’s eyes were immediately drawn to the action, and it took several seconds before Ren’s gaze moved away from Hux’s hands.  The fine, black leather gloves that Hux wore were a symbol of power within the First Order. He doubted that Ren recognized their place in the hierarchy of First Order uniforms, but it made Hux feel better that Ren had seen them at all.

“My lies aren’t going to lead to an interrogation session tomorrow,” Hux replied smartly.

Ren sighed.  “Shame, because there’s one lie of yours that I’d like cleared up.”

Hux cocked his head in confusion.  Although he hadn’t been forthcoming with Ren, not that he’d needed to be, he couldn’t recall ever lying to the man either.  They’d spoken for no more than fifteen standard minutes, what lies had he told in that time?

“What lie would that be?” Hux asked, genuine curiosity lacing his voice.

Ren smirked.  Hux thought that his lips were made for gestures like that.  “Your reason for coming here to speak to me.”

“I don’t believe that I’ve ever told you my reasons for coming here, so I can’t see how you can call it a lie,” Hux responded neutrally.  He refused to be drawn into this conversation with Ren.

Ren’s smirk grew wider.  “I didn’t say that you were lying to me.  Do you make a habit of visiting all of your prisoners?  Isn’t that a little beneath you, General?”

Of course it was beneath him.  Hux knew that, and it appeared that Ren did too.  Hux had tried to tell himself that he was visiting Ren out of boredom, or due to wanting an interesting conversation, but he knew that the truth was far more base than that.  Hux’s dreams the previous night had been filled with Ren and a number of scenarios that Hux didn’t want to voice, and he’d woken harder than he could remember being since his academy days.  And like those academy days, he’d had to masturbate in the shower like an inexperienced seventeen year old just so that he could clear his head enough to start his day.

Hux wasn’t entirely sure when this conversation had spun out of his control, but it wasn’t something he was pleased with.  Nobody mocked Hux on his own ship.

“Well, as you seem to know me so well Ren,” Hux began, his voice hardening with every word, “what do you think I will do with you?”

Ren shuffled down his bunk so that he could lie flat on the bed.  He grimaced a little as his back came into contact with the harsh concrete of the bed, and Hux took a little joy from seeing his discomfort.  “I think I’ll have a date with the interrogation chamber later.”

“I think you might,” Hux replied.  “Unless you want to stop theorizing about me and instead, tell me who you are.”

“I think that theorizing about you is far more fun than talking about myself,” Ren replied.

“Very well,” Hux said, turning to leave.  “I’ll leave you to your theorizing.”

It took just one press of Hux’s comm unit to make FN-2187 hastily open the cell door.  As the cell door opened, Ren spoke one last time. “When you come back tomorrow, maybe we can be more honest with each other.”

Hux paused in the doorway.  “You’re being a bit presumptuous when you assume I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“You will be.”

Hux didn’t reply, and instead rolled his eyes as he walked away from the cell.  It had been an infuriating conversation, all in all. And what made it even more infuriating was that Hux knew full well that he would be back tomorrow because as infuriating as it may have been, it had been the most excitement Hux had felt since he’d finalized the designs for Starkiller Base.

For now though, he had an interrogation to arrange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hadn't guessed already, Kylo's clothes are basically the same as Han's during the original trilogy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No real additional warnings for this chapter, but to be on the safe side I've added some at the end.

The conversation with Ren continued to play through Hux’s mind through the evening and into the next morning.  It had been infuriating and stimulating in equal measures, and the sight of Ren’s smirk had plagued Hux’s dreams.  Life really had been too boring on the Finalizer lately if he was fixating on a prisoner this much, Hux thought.

For so long, his every waking thought had been consumed with Starkiller Base.  At first, it had just been an undeveloped idea in his brain, something prompted by reading technical schematics of the original Death Star and hearing about some new strictly theoretical technology that involved harnessing the power of a sun.  The idea had taken hold in Hux’s mind and he’d thought it through until he had a plan that was almost workable.

A couple of consultations with Supreme Leader Snoke later, and the theoretical and almost workable had started to become reality.

With a workable plan ready to go, Hux’s time had then been taken up finding an ideal planet.  That had taken a small team of dedicated scouts months to achieve, but finally they’d found an uninhabited planet in previously uncharted space and it had fit every requirement Hux had had.  It was far colder than Hux would have liked, but the permanent layer of snow and ice that covered the planet only helped to cover what the First Order was doing. The planet had no use to anyone - no minerals worth mining, no plantation worth harvesting, and it would take too much time and effort for anyone without the First Order’s resources to make it habitable.

It had been a hidden and worthless planet when Hux had found it.  But now, it was going to make history.

Hux looked at his holopad and re-read the day’s progress report from Starkiller Base.  He wanted to be there in these last moments to see his crowning achievement come to life, but he also knew that this was the most dangerous time.  It was important that nobody knew what the First Order were creating on the unknown ice planet as it would remain vulnerable to a well placed attack until it was finished.  Hux had tried to avoid this, but the instability of the thermal oscillator meant it had to be finished last and until it was, it was a liability.

Hux knew that the Resistance monitored the positions of all of the First Order’s Star Destroyers, so until it was time to announce Starkiller Base to the world, the Finalizer had to behave as normal.  Right now, that meant holding orbit near the Core Worlds and blasting any Resistance fighters that came their way.

To begin with, it had almost been relaxing.  Instead of spending every waking moment consumed with Starkiller Base and relying on Lieutenant Mitaka to keep the Finalizer running smoothly, Hux had begun to spend mere moments looking over reports from Starkiller Base, and taking control of his ship himself.  Hux had missed focusing his energies on his Finalizer, and he had taken time to become reacquainted with every inch of the ship, and every officer on board. 

That had soon become boring, however, especially as the Finalizer had no orders other than to maintain her position.  Really, was it any wonder that Hux was spending so much time with his head in the prison cells?

His holopad beeped with a new report - one from the interrogation session with Ren.  Hux tapped the notification so fiercely that the screen almost cracked.

The start of the report was pretty standard.  It showed that the interrogation had finished about 30 minutes ago, and only minimal force and drugs had been used by Lieutenant Rivas, who had conducted the interrogation.  Hux wouldn’t have expected anything more from a first interrogation. As he read further, however, he began to see less typical comments. 

_...gave his name as Master Yoda…_  
...claimed to be a long lost member of the Hutt clan…  
...when asked about his connection to the Resistance, said he was their resident holochess master…  
...said Darth Vader was his grandfather…  
...when the level of pain was increased, simply asked for more…  
...said he hoped General Hux would read the report of his interrogation, because he had a thing for redheads… 

Hux closed the interrogation report as quickly as he’d opened it.  Ren had played the interrogator for a fool. He was playing Hux for a fool.  Again, Hux was struck by the thought that Ren was no mere smuggler - in Hux’s experience, smugglers had no loyalty to anybody but themselves and were notoriously easy to crack when a little pressure was applied.  But Ren had withstood the interrogation and spat in their faces.

Hux reopened the report and sent a short reply saying that a second interrogation was to be scheduled for tomorrow and that Lieutenant Rivas was authorized to use any methods necessary to make Ren talk, something he was sure Rivas would very much enjoy.

Before that though, Hux wanted to speak to Ren himself.

**

This time, FN-2187 opened Ren’s cell without bothering to ask if Hux wanted any backup.  Hux made a mental note to inform Captain Phasma that one of her potential pet projects was a fast learner, as he’d obviously remembered from yesterday that Hux wanted to go it alone.

As Hux walked into the cell, he was surprised to see Ren seated in the middle of the floor this time, his legs crossed, back straight and eyes closed.  He looked peaceful - his full lips were pressed into a soft line and his thick black eyelashes were resting gently closed. The effect was slightly dulled by the telltale bruise on his cheekbone and the white bandage wrapped around his wrist, no doubt hiding a needle mark or two from the interrogation, but it was still far more of a relaxed picture than Hux was expecting to see.

The aftermath of interrogations were usually not pretty.  Those that cracked and spilled all of their secrets were often drawn down into self loathing at their own weaknesses, and those that withstood the torture were usually too damaged to do anything but curl up into the corner.  

Ren was neither of those things.

Again, Hux couldn’t shake the feeling that Ren was no smuggler, and he was starting to wonder if Ren was of far more importance to the Resistance than even Hux could fathom.  He must have had training to withstand the interrogation techniques, which meant that he must have something worth hiding.

Not for the first time, Ren was intriguing and infuriating Hux in equal measures.

Hux opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Ren’s voice.  It was softer and calmer than Hux had heard before, which was no doubt a result of the meditation like state Ren was in.  “General. Nice to see you again.”

Hux couldn’t mask the surprise that flashed across his face.  Ren hadn’t opened his eyes since Hux had entered the cell. “How did you know it was me?”

Ren paused.  “I heard your footsteps.”

Hux was still surprised.  “How could you recognize me from my footsteps?”

“You walk like an officer.”

“And pray tell,” Hux said, a bit of bite entering his voice, “how exactly how does an officer walk?”

Ren opened his eyes.  Hux couldn’t have looked away if he tried.  “You walk like you have a rod up your ass.”

“Charming,” Hux sighed.  “It would be wise not to antagonize the person that holds your life in their hands, Ren.  Remember that.”

And he did hold Ren’s life in his hands.  Hux knew, and even Ren knew, that one word from Hux and FN-2187 would be in the cell with his blaster within seconds.  There was no higher authority than Hux in this case as Supreme Leader Snoke would hardly care about the untimely death of a prisoner.  Snoke didn’t even know that Hux had a prisoner as the Supreme Leader rarely concerned himself with the daily activities of the First Order.

Snoke controlled the bigger picture.  It was up to Hux to micromanage the rest.  It was an arrangement that suited Hux greatly, and one that freed up the Supreme Leader to worry about more pressing matters such as the search for Luke Skywalker and destroying the Galactic Senate.

“We both know that you’re not letting me out of here alive, so I’m going to have all of the fun that I can,” Ren replied, before standing up.

There really wasn’t much room in the cell, so now that Ren was standing, he was only a couple of feet away from Hux.  The General suddenly realized that it was the first time he’d actually seen Ren drawn to his full height, as their first meeting had involved a dazed Ren on his knees, and for the meeting yesterday Ren had been sitting down.  Ren was taller than him, not by much, just a couple of inches, but it felt like more due to the sheer power of the man.

Hux had quickly learned during his rapid ascension through the First Order ranks that it was important to carry yourself with confidence and strength, even if you felt neither.  Hux knew how to make himself appear bigger and stronger than he was, but it was something he’d had to work at and something that hadn’t come naturally. Ren, however, seemed to be the opposite.  Hux could tell that Ren’s confidence and strength wasn’t artificial, in fact, he didn’t seem to be attempting to intimidate Hux at all, he just naturally had the aura of a tank. If anything, he seemed slightly uncomfortable with his size and strength, and that uncertainty was something that Hux could not even begin to comprehend.

Size and strength were power.  And power was all that mattered.

“Speaking of which,” Hux said, a smirk crossing his lips, “how was your little conversation with Lieutenant Rivas?”

Ren sat down on the edge of his concrete bed and stretched his legs out, crossing them at the ankle.  Again, Hux’s gaze was drawn to their impossible length. “He wouldn’t be my first pick for a conversation partner,” Ren replied.

“Really?  That’s a shame,” Hux said brightly.  “I’ve arranged for the two of you to continue your conversation tomorrow.”

Ren sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.  “I thought you might.”

“Of course, although it would upset Lieutenant Rivas greatly, I could cancel your appointment if you spoke to me instead.”

Ren’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Hux.  It appeared that he was at least considering Hux’s offer.  “What would you need to know?”

Hux took a couple of steps forward and gestured to the empty space on the bed next to Ren.  “May I?”

Ren shrugged.  “Knock yourself out.  I wouldn’t recommend it though.”

The bed was as solid as Hux expected.  He couldn’t help but wonder how anybody could ever sleep on one of these things, but then again, that was the point, wasn’t it?  “Let’s start with the droid,” Hux said.

“What about R2?”

“Where did you get him?  He’s no ordinary R2 unit.  Captain Phasma tells me that he was fiercely loyal to you.”

“He belonged to my grandfather,” Ren answered honestly.  “He’s been in the family ever since.”

“Was your grandfather rebel scum too?”

Ren laughed.  Hux wasn’t quite sure what was funny about his question, but for some reason, Ren was finding it hilarious.

Finally, Ren stopped laughing enough to answer.  “He spent most of his adult life with the Empire, actually.”  Now that the initial laughing fit had passed, Hux could see a strange sadness creep into Ren’s expressive eyes.

During his childhood and his days at the academy, the Empire had been a specialist subject of Hux’s.  Maybe it was because of his father’s role in it, or maybe it had just been the military precision with which the Empire had run the galaxy, but something about it had fascinated Hux.  He’d read all of the literature he could find, and watched all of the holofilms his mother could get her hands on, and he considered himself somewhat of an expert in all things Empire related.

As such, Hux knew the names of all of the officers, both senior and petty, that had ever donned an Imperial uniform.  It wasn’t as large a task as it sounded, as the Empire was largely staffed by a combination of nameless clones in Stormtrooper outfits and generations of the same families.  It was the same surnames repeated time after time, and Hux had never seen a Ren in there.

“Your grandfather?  I don’t recall any Rens in the Empire.”

“That wasn’t his name,” Ren stated firmly.

“Then what was his name?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t find it any of the Imperial records, believe me,” Ren answered.  When he spoke again, a spark of defiance had returned to his eyes. “He wasn’t anything of importance to the Empire.”

There was something else Ren had said about his grandfather that had interested Hux.  “What did you mean when you said he had spent only most of his adult life with the Empire?”

Ren grinned.  Thanks to the bruising on his face and the spark still present in his eyes, it looked slightly manic.  “He defected, in the end.”

Although defections hadn’t been unheard of during the Empire, they had been very rare.  So rare, that Hux could only recall a dozen or so cases off the top of his head. He had long suspected that there had been more, and that they had been covered up in order to not tempt other Imperial troops.

“Why did he defect?” Hux asked.

“For his son.”

“That would be your father?” Hux seeked to clarify.

“No, my uncle.  This grandfather was my mother’s father.”

“I hope your uncle appreciated it,” Hux said before snidely adding, “and I hope that the Empire punished your grandfather accordingly.”

Ren rolled his eyes.  “Your father was a big deal in the Empire, wasn’t he?”

Hux’s posture stiffened even more than it was already.  “What do you know of my father?”

“I saw your holovids, remember?  They like to push the family loyalty angle.”

“In that case, you probably know already that he ran the Imperial academy on Arkanis.”

“Wow,” Ren said with a smirk “imagine being responsible for generations of indoctrination.”

Hux’s spirited defence of the Empire and the First Order died in his throat at the sight of that smirk.  He’d lost sight of the purpose of speaking to Ren, and had instead fallen for Ren’s games just like Lieutenant Rivas had earlier.  Ren had managed to tell him so much, without actually telling him of anything with any value. Was the Imperial grandfather even real, or just another of Ren’s manipulations?

Hux mentally kicked himself.  How had he allowed Ren to draw him into a conversation like this?  Why was it so easy just to talk to him, and let the conversation flow?  Hux knew that he was smarter than this. Directing conversations and finding out information had always been a specialty of his, yet when presented with a smooth deep voice, yankable hair and legs that really were too long, his years of training just fell away.

Then again, it really wasn’t that surprising, was it?  If Hux had only one weakness in his life, it was a pretty guy.  It had been the same at the academy, when he had just been discovering his preferences and had been locked away with hundreds of boys making equal discoveries, and it had been the same throughout his First Order career.  The Finalizer had the highest personnel transfer rate in the fleet, and that was due in part to Hux transferring the pretty guys he’d slept with.

But pretty wasn’t exactly the right adjective to use to describe the man sitting a couple of feet to his right.  He was good looking of course, and his face had a youthfulness to it that didn’t quite seem to fit right with the knowledge his eyes seemed to contain.  Powerful, was a better word, Hux thought. He had a powerful look, and he radiated power. It was more than just his height and the muscled arms Hux could see through the thin shirt though, Hux could almost feel the power radiating from Ren.

It was intoxicating.

It was also something he needed to ignore.

“Why don’t you discuss Imperial indoctrination with Lieutenant Rivas tomorrow?” Hux said.

Ren mock pouted, his plush bottom lip jutting out in a way that made Hux want to bite it.  Again, he cursed his luck that Ren was a prisoner and not a petty officer that he could bite as much as he wanted.  “But I was having so much fun talking to you,” Ren said.

“I wish I could say the feeling was mutual,” Hux said as he stood up, his butt sore from the concrete he’d been sitting on.

“Aw,” Ren said, biting his bottom lip slightly, “hearing you say that is so much more painful than any interrogation could ever be.”

Hux straightened his uniform as he walked towards the cell entrance.  He turned around, in order to speak to Ren one last time and tried to ignore how Ren was still biting his lip.  “Maybe you should wait and see what tomorrow’s interrogation brings before making such a broad statement.”

“If you drop by tomorrow I’ll be able to tell you what hurts more.”

“I may be able to find time in my schedule,” Hux said, knowing full well that if there wasn’t time, then he’d make it.  As he waited for FN-2187 to open the cell door, Hux remembered something that had been written in the day’s interrogation report.  “After all, I know how much you like redheads.”

Hux knew it had been madness to say it, but he had said it anyway.  It had been worth it too, if only for the embarrassed choking that had escaped from Ren’s throat as Hux had left the cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings - Hux comes to speak to Kylo after he's been interrogated. The interrogation and torture used was mild, and far less severe than some of the torture seen in the movies, but it has left Kylo bruised and there is a mention of bruises and needle marks on his skin. It's had little to no lingering effect on Kylo. None of the torture or the interrogation techniques are described.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo has his second interrogation, and the results of it lead Hux to a reluctant decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra chapter warnings and a summary are at the end.

The next day on the Finalizer started the same as any other.  Hux got ready in the morning, did his early morning rounds, checked his datapad for any reports or pressing appointments, and took his place on the bridge.

It was only mid-morning and he’d already completed every task for the day.

Oh, how he longed for a proper dog fight with the Resistance.  If only they’d intercept a First Order transmission and come rushing towards the Finalizer, all guns blazing, and ready for battle.  He’d have the Tie Fighters scrambled within seconds, a couple of squadrons to take on the inferior X-Wings, and another squadron taking on the bigger Resistance ships, if they were in range.

He’d stand upon the bridge, one eye focused on the windows that wrapped around the bridge as he watched the fight as it happened before him, and the other eye on his datapad as scrolls and scrolls of information flashed before his eyes.  His datapad would tell him everything - the position of every fighter under his command, the position of every Resistance ship they’d been able to track, damage reports, weapon capacities, casualties for both sides…

It was so much information.  Too much information for lesser men to handle, but General Armitage Hux was not a lesser man.  He was a man that lived for pressure, a man for whom no situation was too difficult or stressful.  He had taken planets for the First Order with only 10 Stormtroopers, and he’d taken down a star cruiser with only a frigate.  He was the youngest general that either the First Order or the Empire had ever seen, and he deserved every commendation that came his way.

And the boredom was killing him.

He pulled up the daily Starkiller Base report again, and proceeded to commit it to memory, word for word.  All of his previous achievements paled in comparison to the glorious wonder of Starkiller Base. If the Death Star had been the perfect weapon then Starkiller Base was a work of art, and Hux was the master that had painted it.

As he was reading the report for the eighth time, a new report came through.  It was from Lieutenant Rivas - he’d conducted the interrogation session with Ren early this morning.  For the briefest of moments Hux was concerned that the arrival of this report filled him with more anticipation than the daily Starkiller Base report did, but he quickly dismissed those concerns.

Kylo Ren was the one complication in his current ordered life, he was the one thing that didn’t fit the First Order’s strict structure, so Hux’s borderline unhealthy fixation on him was only to be expected.

There was more to digest in this second interrogation report.  Lieutenant Rivas had been very thorough, and Hux could read his contempt for Ren in every word he’d used.  As Hux had expected, Ren had pushed Rivas with flippant comments and by the details of the methods used, Rivas had not been kind.  In fact, it seemed that Rivas had used every tool at his disposal in order to make Ren talk.

The fact that Ren still hadn’t, despite everything that Rivas had tried, almost made Hux respect Ren.

Hux typed out a quick reply to Rivas, thanking him for his work and speed in sending in the report, and handed control of the bridge over to Mitaka.  It was time to visit Ren again.

**

This time, FN-2187 was already waiting at the cell door when Hux arrived.  Although it was hard to tell due to the armor, the Stormtrooper almost seemed agitated.  The usual stoic, unmoving stance had been replaced by a nervous energy that made the Stormtrooper bounce on his heels slightly.

“What’s the problem, 2187?” Hux asked.

“Nothing, sir,” FN-2187 replied quickly.  He paused for a couple of seconds, and then nervously continued, “is the prisoner okay?”

“What concern is that of yours?”

“None, sir,” FN-2187 replied.  Even through the helmet, Hux could hear his sigh.

“That’s right,” Hux stated.  “Open the door and return to your station.”

FN-2187’s head dropped, but he quickly covered his emotions with a standard salute and a confident “yes, sir!”

Hux made a mental note to tell Phasma that although FN-2187 was a quick learner, he didn’t quite have enough of a handle on his emotions yet.  Many of the new Stormtroopers struggled with their lingering humanity in the early stages of their service, but a few sessions with Phasma and some time in the reconditioning program usually resolved the problem.  Hux had no reason to believe that the same would not be true for FN-2187.

This time when the cell door was opened, Ren was neither waiting for him or peacefully meditating on the floor.  Instead, the man was lying down on the unforgiving bed, his black leather vest bunched up beneath his head as a makeshift pillow, and with his eyes closed.  The only movement Hux could see was the slightly irregular movement of his chest, as it seemed that regular and natural breathing was not coming easy to Ren at that moment.

It seemed that Lieutenant Rivas really had been thorough in his interrogation.

As Hux moved closer, he started to be able to see the myriad of bruises and scratches that decorated Ren’s forearms and face.  Unlike yesterday there was no bandage to cover the needle marks, and it was easy to see Rivas’ work etched across Ren’s skin. Ren was sweating profusely, his long and dark hair stuck to the sides of his face, and he appeared to be unconscious.

This was more like the typical after interrogation scene that Hux had expected to see.  It wasn’t something he was used to seeing, but he couldn’t look away.

Without even thinking, Hux removed the glove from his right hand and brushed a lock of hair away from where it lay across Ren’s eyes.  Ren twitched slightly but didn’t wake, and Hux jumped back like his fingers had touched a flame and come back burnt. The tingle that remained in his fingertips almost did feel like a burn and Hux longed for some ice water to dip them in, but his feet were being uncooperative and wouldn’t let him move.

Hux barely even noticed when Ren’s eyes slowly fluttered open.  

His eyes were glassy and missed the spark that Hux had become used to seeing there.  Ren’s forehead scrunched up tightly as if even the scant light in the cell was too much for him to bare but he soon adjusted, and those dazed eyes eventually focused on Hux.

“General,” Ren croaked, his voice barely audible despite the silence of the cell, “I’d stand to attention but I can’t move right now.”

Hux kept his voice equally soft and quiet, as if speaking any louder would break the spell he found himself under.  “I hear that you weren’t very forthcoming with Lieutenant Rivas again today.”

Ren tried to laugh, but the action soon turned into a cough that seemed to echo throughout his entire body.  When he spoke, his voice was more croaky than before. “He asked the wrong questions.”

Hux gripped the glove that he still held in his hands.  “What should he have asked?”

Ren smiled.  It seemed to cause him pain due to the bruises that were beginning to form on his face, but it was still a brighter smile than Hux was used to seeing from anyone on the Finalizer.  “He should have asked who I think will win the Tatooine Podrace 500. I have many opinions on that.”

“Even now, you still can’t stop running your mouth, can you?”

“Wouldn’t want to disappoint you, General.”

Ren winced, and Hux rolled his eyes.  “Maybe if you stopped running your mouth, it wouldn’t hurt so much.”

“That… almost sounds like concern.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Hux replied.  “I’m just here to see the results of Lieutenant Rivas’ hard work.”

The lie was so obvious that Hux was sure that even in his weakened state, Ren caught it.

“Well, tell your boy Rivas that he did a good job,” Ren said, closing his eyes, “because this headache is kriffing killing me.”

Hux swiftly stood and headed for the cell exit.  As he’d stood, there had been a look on Ren’s face that had almost seemed like Ren hadn’t wanted him to go, and was sad that he was doing so.  Hux thought he recognized a look like that from years ago on a different face, but refused to acknowledge it or put a name to.

“2187,” Hux called, his feet remaining in the cell but his body leaning out of it to speak to the Stormtrooper, “get me a wet towel.  Cold water, if you can.”

FN-2187 muttered a quick acknowledgment and hastily ran off to the fresher at the end of the cell block.  Hux didn’t need to turn around to know that Ren was watching his actions with confusion, but he turned around regardless.  Ren’s face was an open book of curiosity, and Hux realized that he’d never seen the other man look so unguarded before. Despite the smirks, the smiles and the sparkling eyes, Ren had always been holding something back from Hux, and now he wasn’t.

The Stormtrooper soon arrived back with the towel, and Hux decided not to comment on how water was dripping all over the Finalizer’s pristine floor.  He walked back over to Ren, and stood by the side of his bed, offering the towel. “It’s for your headache.”

Ren just stared at him, eyes rapidly blinking.

Hux sighed impatiently.  “You put it on your forehead…”

“I know what to do with it,” Ren replied.  

Ren still made no effort to take the towel from Hux’s hands, so Hux took the initiative with a roll of his eyes.  In Hux’s mind, it had been easy to lean down and place the towel across Ren’s forehead, but in reality it was far harder to achieve when Ren’s dark eyes were watching every move, as if he was torn between letting things unfold and slapping Hux’s hand away.

But, Hux had stared down academy classmates that had him at the barrel of a blaster, he’d stared down Resistance fleets, and he’d stared down an angry and disappointed Supreme Leader.  He wasn’t going to let a broken prisoner get the better of him, no matter how quickly his heart was racing.

The groan of relief that Ren uttered when the cold towel came into contact with his forehead traveled straight to Hux’s crotch and distracted him to the point that he didn’t notice Ren’s hand move to grab his wrist.

They stayed like that for a few moments, Hux with his arm outstretched and bare fingers only inches away from Ren’s face, and Ren with his bruised fingers wrapped around Hux’s wrist.  Without his glove it had been easy for Ren’s fingers to slip past the sleeve of Hux’s uniform until they reached skin, and Hux was left wondering when the last time anyone had touched him had been without it being an emotionless quick fuck.

Space was cold, Starkiller Base was even colder, and Hux’s sense of propriety ensured that he never stepped outside of his quarters in anything less than full uniform.  He barely even removed his gloves unless he was in the comfort of his own quarters, and yet here he was, with a Resistance sympathizer getting underneath his armor.

Literally and figuratively.

Hux pulled his hand free and took a step back, eager to put some distance between himself and Ren and to try to regain some control.

“You’re being very kind,” Ren said, breaking the silence.

“Am I?” Hux said.  

“You are.”  Ren shifted slightly on the bed, wincing again as he struggled to become comfortable due to the bruises on his body, and then gestured with his hands for Hux to sit down on the space he’d cleared.  Against his better judgement, Hux did so, his hip brushing against Ren’s knee. “You come here to talk to me, not interrogate me, and you almost seem to care about my wellbeing.”

“Don’t mistake caring about what happens on my ship, with caring about you,” Hux lied.

“It’s more than that,” Ren stated firmly, as if it was the most sure thing in the world.

“Then tell me, Ren,” Hux said, leaning forward with a slight sneer on his face, forever the cold General externally, no matter how much he was burning up inside, “what is it?”

Ren paused, his eyes critically sweeping over Hux’s seated form.  Despite the many layers of his uniform that remained intact, Hux felt naked under that stare, as if it was more than just his gloves he’d peeled off in that cell.

“You’re feeling guilty.”

That was not what Hux was expecting Ren to say, and his usually quick mind took a few seconds to catch up.  “Why would I be feeling guilty?” 

“You ordered the torture, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” Hux answered.  “This is my ship and I’m responsible for what happens on it.”

“Is that the type of man you are?” Ren asked, his voice dropping low, in both tone and volume.  “You order others to get their hands dirty and you keep yours clean?”

Ren grabbed Hux’s right wrist again with his left hand.  His grip was crushing, despite the obvious discomfort it was causing Ren, and although Hux’s immediate reaction was to pull away again, he couldn’t force his hand to cooperate.  In fact, Hux could only watch as Ren used his right hand to flatten out Hux’s palm so that Hux’s bare hand was on view to both of them. 

“I’m a General, Ren,” Hux stated firmly, “giving orders is what I do.”

“It doesn’t keep your hands clean,” Ren said.  The fingertips of his right hand lightly skimmed across the skin of Hux’s palm.  Hux did his best to stifle the shiver than ran down his spine. “This hand is dirtier than any other on this ship.”

When Hux spoke next, it was in an uncharacteristically small voice.  “I’m aware of that.”

And he was aware of that.  He knew that people lived and died by his orders, but Hux had always had the confidence of his convictions behind him.  The Galactic Senate were not fit to rule. Their pursuit of freedom had left the Core Worlds as planets of comfort and plenitude, but other planets, such as Hux’s own Arkanis, had struggled since the fall of the Empire.  Without the Empire, there had been a reduction in military academies for young adults to train in, no weapons industries for adults to work in, and no money to be made from trading.

The Galactic Senate had explained that a period of adjustment was needed for Empire related industries to be replaced by Senate approved ones, but the change was slow coming.  The First Order had been able to rise in places the Galactic Senate was absent, and Hux firmly believed that the First Order would bring more prosperity to the galaxy than the Senate ever could.

To Hux, freedom was a small price to pay for stability.

Hux knew that people joined the First Order for different reasons.  The Stormtroopers were taken from their families as young children and had no choice, some officers joined because they had no other job prospects, whereas others joined to follow in their parent’s footsteps.  Through time, some people came to believe in the First Order, and some didn’t. Hux didn’t really care what an individual’s personal feelings were as long as they dedicated themselves to their jobs. For Hux, it had been his father’s decision for him to sign up, and nobody argued with Brendol Hux.  But now, Hux was there because he completely, with every cell of his being, believed in the First Order’s mission. 

It was this core belief in the First Order’s mission that kept Hux going, no matter how many people would suffer from his orders.  It had been this belief, that the Galactic Senate was an old and outdated relic that the galaxy no longer needed, that had been in his mind when he designed Starkiller Base.  And Hux knew, that when the day came that he’d give the order to fire Starkiller, he would do it with confidence and his head held high because it was necessary to restore stability to a galaxy that craved it.

But right at that moment, in that cell, with a battered and bruised Resistance sympathizer and smuggler called Kylo Ren lightly stroking his palm, his conviction wavered a little.

Those bruises and marks were not the handiwork of Lieutenant Rivas - they were due to Armitage Hux.

“You really are feeling guilty then?” Ren asked softly.

Finally, Hux pulled his hand away from Ren.  It was easier to think without the skin contact, and he could feel his resolve beginning to set again.  The bruises were his doing, but they had been necessary to further the First Order’s mission. The Galactic Senate, the Resistance… they both needed crushing if the First Order was to be successful and Ren had presented the first possible lead on the Resistance’s whereabouts and activities that the First Order had seen in months.

Hux had ordered what needed to be ordered.  Hux’s misplaced guilt meant nothing in the face of what the First Order hoped to achieve.  He couldn’t afford to let his guard down, or be anything other than the General he aspired to be.

“I’ll give you one last chance to cooperate,” Hux said with a confidence that he didn’t quite feel.   “What’s your name?”

Ren sighed.  “You’re really doing this?”Hux repeated, “what’s your name?”

“Kylo Ren.”

“What’s your occupation?”

“Smuggler.”

“What were you smuggling when we caught you with the Resistance?”

“Nothing.”

“What is your link to the Resistance?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Why were you with Resistance members?”

Ren shrugged, “bad timing.”

Hux sighed as he stood up.  “That was your last chance, Ren.  You know what this means, don’t you?”

“I can guess.”  Ren’s voice held no emotion when he spoke, but there was a flash of sadness in his eyes.  

Hux knew he had no choice.  Lieutenant Rivas had used the most severe level of interrogation that was at his disposal, and Ren had still refused to talk.  There was no reason to leave Ren lingering in the cells if he had no information to give.

There was only one option Hux had when it came to a prisoner that refused to talk.

Ren spoke again.  “Like I said yesterday, we both knew I wasn’t get out of this alive.”

“I have one more question for you,” Hux said.  “I hope that you will at least answer this one honestly.”

Ren took the wet towel off his forehead and sat up slightly.  The movement obviously pained him, but he didn’t stop until he was in a more seated position.  “I’ll try my best.”

“Is the Resistance worth dying for?”

There was a pause while Ren contemplated the question.  Finally, he spoke. “I don’t know about the Resistance, but standing up for your ideals is.”

It was an answer that Hux grudgingly respected.  He could relate to it as well, as Hux knew that he was willing to give his own life to benefit the First Order, if it came to it.  “Very well,” he replied.

Hux turned and walked to the cell door, patiently waiting for FN-2187 to open the door.  As the door opened, he heard Ren call out to him. “Will you be there, to watch?”

Hux walked out of the cell without answering.

He stopped just outside the cell door and waited for FN-2187 to finish locking everything up tightly.  The doors to the cells were solid and sound proofed, with a small, usually covered window at head height from which you could see the prisoner.  Hux was glad that he couldn’t see Ren and that Ren couldn’t see him for what he was about to say.

“2187, make sure that the prisoner is comfortable.”

There was a pause.  “Comfortable… General?  What exactly do you mean by comfortable?”

“Do you not know the meaning of the word, 2187!?” Hux barked.

“Yes sir, but…”

Hux interrupted him.  “Make sure the prisoner doesn’t bleed out onto the floor, give him a painkiller, things of that sort.”

Hux didn’t wait for a response from FN-2187, and instead walked a few steps away and pulled out his commlink.  He turned it over in his hands a few times before taking a deep breath and contacting Captain Phasma.

She answered immediately with a clipped “Yes, General?”

Hux was pleased that his voice sounded neutral when he spoke.  It was amazing how easy it was for him to slip back into General mode, no matter how disorganized his emotions were.  “Our guest in the prison cells has rather outstayed his welcome. See to it that he leaves us sometime tomorrow.”

“We have training drills in the morning, sir.  Would tomorrow afternoon suit?”

“That would be perfect, Phasma.”

“Do you have a preference on the… method, General?”

Hux knew the questions were necessary, but kriffing hell, he just wanted to quickly schedule an execution and then wash his dirty hands free of it all.  “Quick and dignified, if you could.”

He heard Phasma pause, as if she wanted to question his choice and insist that anybody related to the Resistance be punished before the end, but Hux felt that he owed Ren more than that.

Eventually she spoke.  “As you wish, sir.”

Hux cut the call, nodded in acknowledgment to FN-2187, and headed back to the bridge.  It was only lunchtime, but he felt like he needed a drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings - hurt/comfort, torture aftermath
> 
> Summary - Kylo is interrogated again. There are no descriptions of the interrogation or the torture techniques used, but the chapter does deal with the aftermath. Kylo is bruised and in pain, and this is referred to frequently throughout the chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no additional warnings required for this one!

The rest of the day passed in a flash, and Hux soon found himself off shift as another cycle aboard the Finalizer came to a close.  He had showered the dirt of the day off his skin in the refresher, allowing himself to indulge a little by using water at the highest temperature available.  Usually, a long shower and a stiff drink was all Hux needed to forget about the stresses of the day, especially his recent uneventful days, but not even a glass of the best whiskey Corellia had to offer was enough to allow him to unwind.

He could still feel the day clinging to his skin as he tried to relax into the plush couch that took up half of his living space.  Hux didn’t take advantage of any of the creature comforts that his rank would allow him, other than this couch. It was a comfortable space to finish any work on his datapad that was outstanding, and it’s position in front of the big window that took up half of his wall space made it the perfect place to watch the galaxy go by.

He couldn’t relax though.  His mind kept on drifting back to Ren in the cells and his impending execution.

The decision to order the execution was the right one for a General to make, he knew.  Ren had taken the harshest interrogation that the First Order had to offer and had withstood it - there was nothing else that could be done to make him talk.  A prisoner that refused to talk and cooperate was worthless to the First Order, so there was no reason to keep him alive. Hux knew this.

But still, the decision didn’t sit entirely right with him.

There was something about the situation that wasn’t right, and it had plagued him since Ren had been captured.  The Resistance didn’t have a history of using random smugglers - they had their own established channels for getting goods without the First Order knowing.  A couple of years ago, Hux had been instrumental in dismantling one of those very channels, only for another three to pop up in its place. No, the Resistance had no need to resort to random smugglers for whatever they needed.

Ren was also not your typical smuggler.  He was too well spoken for one, and Hux could hear a slight accent that colored some of Ren’s words that showed he’d spent some time on the Core Worlds.  Not a smuggler’s usual background. There was also the fact the Ren had put protecting whatever he was hiding before protecting his own skin. Not a smuggler’s usual behavior.

So, who was he?  Was Ren a bona fide member of the Resistance that was pretending to be a smuggler?  If so, why? No low ranking member of the Resistance would have need for such a disguise, so was Ren part of the upper chain of command?  Hux had thought that the First Order were aware of all of the higher officers in the Resistance, but maybe one had slipped through.

Or maybe that Core Worlds accent that Ren was trying to hide was evidence that he was from the Galactic Senate itself.  That opened up more questions of why the Senate would be meeting with the Resistance on Jakku.

Hux slowly stood up and filled his glass with another shot of whiskey.  He was going around in circles. None of these possibilities changed the fact that Ren wasn’t talking, and short of using him as ransom material, something the First Order never did, there was nothing more to be done.

Did it really matter who he was, if he wasn’t willing to talk?  Hux knew that the Resistance wouldn’t barter for the life of one of their officers, just like the First Order wouldn’t.  Maybe the Resistance would make an exception for General Organa herself though, Hux thought. She was the beacon around which the Resistance rallied, and without her lighting the way it was possible that the Resistance would fall apart like the ragtag group that they were.  Maybe the capture of Organa wouldn’t result in a trade, but an even more suicidal rescue mission than usual. 

Other than maybe Organa, no one person was worth cutting a deal with the enemy during a war, and Hux knew that if he was captured then the First Order would do no deals to save him.  The Resistance were all about daring rescue missions, not ransoms, and Hux welcomed their attempt to stage a rescue from the Finalizer. 

It’d give him something to do.

So that led to the other reason why the execution didn’t sit right with Hux - the one that he refused to voice.  The fact that, for reasons Hux couldn’t understand, he was unfairly infatuated with the man.

Hux had refused to admit to himself that his daily visits to Ren’s cell had long since gone beyond a General checking up on an interesting prisoner, and had instead become Hux checking out a man that made his blood burn.  It was utterly unprofessional, and Hux’s only solace was knowing that his infatuation existed only in his own head, and that nobody else would know about it.

He had, originally, been caught by long legs, kissable lips, soulful eyes and hair that he just wanted to pull on.  But after talking to Ren, he had found the man to have a quick wit and a stubborn streak that was just as much of a turn on to Hux as Ren’s broad shoulders were.  Nobody challenged Hux. The petty officers he took to his bed could never stop treating him like their General, and were too nervous about upsetting him to ever push him.  They rolled over and bared their necks for their superior, and although that was appealing at times, it didn’t scratch that itch Hux had that made him want to forget about the First Order and his rank.

Ren had made him forget.  Hux had slipped too many times in their conversations and showed too much of the man behind the General’s stripes.  

Hux knocked back another shot of whiskey and suddenly came to the realization that he was slightly drunk.  He scowled at the empty glass, and then scowled at himself for allowing his thoughts to run away so far from where the thoughts of General Hux should be.  It had been a long way since he’d let his guard down in this way, and even with his alcohol dulled mind, he vowed not to let it happen again anytime soon.

“Idiot,” he whispered to himself as he forced himself to retire for the night.

Sleep was surprisingly quick to take him under, but it wasn’t a restful sleep.  It was a sleep filled with dreams of plush lips, deep brown eyes and a strength that pinned him to the mattress.

**

Hux awoke with a headache and a mouth that tasted like he’d cleaned the Finalizer’s floors with his tongue.  It wasn’t until he was halfway through his morning routine that he remembered exactly why his bottle of whiskey was missing several glasses, and the execution scheduled for that afternoon came to the forefront of his mind.

He still couldn’t shake the feeling that the execution was a mistake, but he tried to ignore it as he dressed.  He pulled on his gloves with extra force and tried to forget the feel of strong fingers wrapped around his wrist.

By the time he’d made it to the bridge, Hux felt like he had his emotions under control and he was able to run through the morning reports and briefings as if it was any other boring day hanging out in space near the Core Worlds.  Captain Phasma had been kind enough to send a detailed plan for the Stormtrooper drills that morning, and it was as efficient and thorough as Hux would expect from someone of Phasma’s caliber. 

Although it had been his father that had devised the current Stormtrooper training plans, it was really Captain Phasma that made the inexperienced troopers into a well oiled machine.  She had this almost supernatural instinct of how far to push each trooper, and how to get the best out of them. Hux knew that if he had his free reign to choose any members of the First Order to staff his ship with, Phasma would be the number one choice both for her work ethic and her character.

Hux was eyes deep in Phasma’s report when Lieutenant Mitaka came running over.  Hux was readying himself to censure Mitaka for running across his bridge, but the look on Mitaka’s face held Hux’s tongue.

“What is it, Lieutenant?”

“We just intercepted a transmission from the Resistance, sir.”

It had been some time since the First Order had picked up any chatter from the Resistance on their broadcast channels, and usually it was nothing more than a string of codewords that the First Order had yet to decipher.  Hux could easily tell that this time, they’d seemingly caught something important.

“It was between Commander Poe Dameron, and General Organa.”

Hux didn’t even attempt to hide the way his eyebrows shot up in interest.  “What were they talking about?”

“I think it’s best if you hear it for yourself, General.”

Hux nodded for Mitaka to proceed with playing the transmission.  It was unlike Organa to be heard on any transmissions that the First Order could pick up, so Hux presumed it must have been an emergency, unplanned broadcast.  Were the Resistance in trouble? Was Organa herself in trouble somewhere?

Hux stopped himself from getting carried away with possibilities and instead listened as the transmission began to play.

It was Organa’s voice that played throughout the Finalizer’s bridge.  “What happened Poe? Your squadron was supposed to leave Jakku and rendezvous with the main fleet two days ago.”

“We hit some trouble, General.  First Order trouble.”

Hux felt a swell of pride at that and allowed himself to smile a little.

“Is everybody safe?”

“The other pilots with me were shot down,” Dameron explained, his voice softening as he spoke.  “I was the only one that got away.”

The was a pause before Organa spoke again.  “The only one…? What about Ben?”

“He’s okay, I think.  They took him.”

Organa sighed heavily.  “Did they know…?”

Dameron interrupted her.  “I don’t think so. We were obviously protecting him though, so it made sense to take him.”

“Where do you think he is?”

“The Finalizer, probably.  Phasma was leading the First Order troops, and that’s where she’s stationed.”

It didn’t take a General’s intellect to realize that this Ben they were talking about was the man currently lingering in the Finalizer’s cells.  Hux had always suspected that Kylo Ren was a pseudonym, and now he had his answer. The only question left, was why General Organa sounded so concerned.

And she did sound concerned, Hux realized.  He’d only heard Organa speak a couple of times in her role as a Senator, but she always spoke with a strength and conviction that never wavered.  This time, her firm voice sounded almost scared.

Dameron continued talking.  “Permission to take some fighters with me and go and get him back?”

“Permission granted, Poe.  But be careful, the Finalizer is a hard nut to crack.”

A rescue mission staged against the Finalizer?  Hux felt like it was his lucky day.

“Don’t worry, General, I’ll figure something out.”

“Anything you need is yours,” Organa said.  She paused before speaking again and this time her voice sounded small and fragile as it echoed around the bridge of the Finalizer.  It was such a contrast to the strong figure she usually was. “Please get my son back.”

Hux barely heard Poe’s reply, as that one word kept echoing around his brain.

Son…

Organa’s son…

That shaggy haired, big eyed smuggler scum in the prison cells that had caused Hux to take far too many cold showers over the last few days was the son of General Leia Organa??

Hux opened his commlink and sent a quick message to Phasma.  “Change of plan, Captain. There won’t be an execution today, but I’d be grateful if you could meet me at the cells as planned with a couple of your best Stormtroopers.  I need to speak to our guest again.”

He shut off his commlink and turned to Mitaka.  “I want the Finalizer on battle alert. We have a Resistance fleet of unknown size heading our way, and we’re going to be ready for them.  Every fighter and every gun this ship has is to be permanently manned and ready to go at a moment’s notice. They will not surprise us. Understand?”

Mitaka answered with a salute and a quick “yes, General!” and the bridge broke out into a hive of activity.  When the Resistance came, the Finalizer would be more than ready to blast every single one of their pitiful ships out of the sky.  Hux hoped that they would come soon, as he was itching for a battle.

For now, however, he’d have to make do with the unexpected developments surrounding Kylo Ren.

**

It was with a mixture of excitement and purpose that Hux strode down the corridor that led to Ren’s cell.  He was flanked by Phasma on his right, walking half a step behind, and two of her best Stormtroopers following quickly behind them both.  On seeing them approach, FN-2187 scrambled to his position and opened the cell door with an efficiency that Hux acknowledged with a nod of his head.

When the door opened, Ren was waiting for them.  He was seated on the floor again with his legs crossed, his face still marred by bruises, but his eyes were deliberately focused on the door.  He didn’t even seem surprised to see that Hux had bought Phasma and some Stormtroopers with him. In fact, Ren barely seemed to notice them as his deep brown eyes didn’t leave Hux’s face for a second.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Ren,” Hux said.  He couldn’t help injecting every syllable with a sarcasm that he knew Ren had to feel.  

“General Hux,” Ren replied.  “I’m so glad you came.”

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Hux said with a sneer.  “I’m sure that you remember Captain Phasma,” Hux said, gesturing to the tall figure encased in chrome armor that stood to his right.

“I remember her blaster well enough,” Ren grumbled.

“She is pretty proficient with it, isn’t she?” Hux agreed.

“Thank you, General,” Phasma said, gladly taking the compliment.

Ren stood up slowly, the interrogation from yesterday still obviously causing him more pain than the visible bruises and cuts alone could.  Ren’s hands dusted off non-existent dirt from his pants and Hux couldn’t help but lower his eyes and watch as Ren’s large hands ran over his thick thighs.  Hux growled low in his throat and tried to ignore the blood rushing south. “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we?” Hux stated.

“Sure,” Ren agreed.  “Do you guys do last requests?”

“Last requests?” Hux asked, seeking clarification on whatever Resistance nonsense Ren was asking about.

“You know, a last favor for the condemned,” Ren explained.

“What would your last request be?” Hux asked, deliberately not answering Ren’s question.

“That my droid is there.  He’s been in the family so long that I would like him to be there at the end.”

Hux turned to Phasma.  “Do we still have the droid?”

“The R2 unit, General?  I believe so. The next batch of memory wipes are scheduled for two days time.”

Ren almost smiled.  “So the droid, and that Stormtrooper over there.”

He was pointing at FN-2187, Hux noticed.  The Stormtrooper seemed slightly surprised to have been acknowledged by Ren in such a manner as his stiff posture crumbled for a second before he righted himself and stood to attention again.  That request was surprising to Hux, but it’s hardly as if it mattered, considering.

“So, you want the droid and FN-2187 as witnesses to your execution,” Hux summarized.  Ren nodded in confirmation, and Hux continued talking. “And does the execution of one Kylo Ren warrant witnesses?”

“Does the execution of anyone?” Ren asked with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Oh, I think there are some people that would warrant witnesses,” Hux said with a smirk.  He’d had fun playing with Ren, but maybe now it was time to stop teasing the man. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Organa?  Or can I call you Ben?”

The reaction from Ren, or Organa, or whatever was the appropriate thing to call him, was not what Hux had expected.  The man merely smiled and sat down on his bed, legs stretching out before him and crossing at the ankle like he had no cares in the world.

“It took you long enough to figure it out,” Ren replied.  “And it’s Mr. Solo, not Organa - I took my father’s name, not my mother’s.  You can still call me Ren though, if you want.”

“You’re not denying that you’re General Organa’s son?” Hux said, slightly surprised.

“Are you going to execute the son of General Organa?” Ren asked.

“I should,” Hux replied.  “But maybe doing so right now would be a touch premature.”

Ren smirked.  Hux didn’t know whether he wanted to slap the expression off Ren’s face, or kiss it off.  Somehow, Ren’s smirk seemed to get even wider. 

“I hate it when things are premature,” Ren said.

Hux decided to ignore the double entendre.  Ren was trying to toy with him again and get the upper hand in the conversation, but Hux refused to let that happen this time.  He was still achingly aware of Captain Phasma’s presence, and he knew that despite her silence, she was carefully cataloging everything that was happening around her.  Any slips, and she’d tease him about it for weeks.

“You’ll have to be interrogated again, of course,” Hux continued.  “This time we’ll take your advice from yesterday and ask the right questions.”

“I’m not going to tell you anything about my mother,” Ren stated firmly.

There was something in Ren’s tone that interested Hux.  It wasn’t the tone he would have expected from a son trying to protect his mother, it sounded almost… angry?  It was almost as if Ren didn’t want to speak about General Organa for different reasons. It was a tone that sounded distinctly similar to the same tone Hux used when he spoke about his own father.  Hux had assumed that Ren would have a good relationship with his mother. Evidently, he was wrong.

Hux filed that away in his mind for use later.

“We’ll see,” Hux said.  “Either way, I’m sure Lieutenant Rivas will be glad to make your acquaintance again.”

Ren’s shoulders slumped slightly as he looked at the bruises and cuts that covered his hands and forearms from the last session with Rivas.  “I’ll keep my busy schedule open.”

Hux had no intention of sending Ren to Rivas again, but Ren didn’t need to know that.  Rivas had tried twice and hadn’t even been able to figure out that the name Kylo Ren was a pseudonym, so Hux had no confidence that Rivas’ methods would be able to get any other information out of Ren.  Hux knew his methods were sometimes questionable, but he wasn’t the kind of General who would torture others just for the sake of torturing them. No, if Hux wanted Ren to talk, he had to try a different technique.

Ren had a smart mouth and seemed to loosen up a little when he was being challenged back.  Maybe that was the key to getting him to talk.

“As your schedule is so busy, we’ll take our leave,” Hux said, nodding to Phasma.  She instantly took the gesture as the dismissal that it was. “I’ll leave you with one piece of advice.”

Ren raised an eyebrow, but waited patiently for Hux to continue.  “Think carefully about what will make your life easier here, and how you could possibly walk away in one piece.  Don’t expect the Resistance to save you, because we’re waiting for them.”

Hux stepped out of the cell and FN-2187 quickly shut it before Ren could respond.  As the cell door was shutting, however, Hux saw an unexpected smile spread across Ren’s face, but it was quickly blocked from Hux’s sight by the solid cell door.  Hux was puzzled by the expression, but quickly forgot about it. 

Hux had other things to worry about.  He had the son of General Leia Organa in his cells.  Now, what exactly was he going to do with him?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Hux couldn’t risk looking back._
> 
> _If he did, he’d be lost._

Hux spent the rest of the evening preparing for the forthcoming rescue mission by the Resistance, and pointedly ignoring the issue of what to do with who they were rescuing.  

“They will try to board the Finalizer,” he barked at Mitaka, “so make sure that they are unable to do so.  I want the landing codes of every TIE Fighter triple checked before they are allowed to dock, and Stormtroopers waiting with guns ready for every one that does.  We know that they have salvaged TIE Fighters in the past, they may use one to try and gain entry.”

Mitaka looked nervous about speaking, but speak he did.  “Sir, that will be a lot of personnel. We’re a little short on numbers right now because of Starkiller Base entering its final phase...”

“I am aware of that, Mitaka,” Hux said, abruptly cutting him off.  “I was the one that sent them to Starkiller Base in the first place.  However, the goal of the Resistance will be to try to rescue the prisoner, and when they try, we will be ready for them.”

“Very well, sir.”

“Every other available Stormtrooper is to ensure that every cannon on this ship is ready to fire at any Resistance ship that comes our way.  Captain Phasma is in charge of protecting the cell blocks themselves.”

“And the TIE Fighter pilots, General?”

“All recreation time is canceled, and they are to be ready to fly at all times.  Make sure every TIE Fighter we have is fully repaired, and that every droid available is on standby.”

Mitaka saluted and ran away.  He was a nervous thing, but loyal.  Hux appreciated that in a Lieutenant.  He knew that Mitaka would follow his orders and was capable of giving his own if the situation desired it, but he was too nervous and jumpy to be plotting Hux’s downfall behind his back. The First Order was full of backstabbers and people with ambition Hux knew, after all, he had been the most ambitious of them all.

Hux looked at the datapad in his hand as report after report came in of TIE Fighter checks being completed and signed off.  By his count, 60% of their fleet were ready to go at a moment’s notice, and that percentage was climbing by the minute. When the Resistance arrived, the Finalizer would be ready and waiting.

Although preparing for a battle eased the part of his General’s mind that was obsessed with tactics, battles, and a 100% win record, it didn’t ease that part that inevitably floated back down to the prison cells.  What was he going to do with Organa’s son?

Execution was still a possibility, but Hux knew that General Leia Organa was a figure that was well respected and revered by many across the galaxy.  Her near deification had suffered a hit when it became knowledge that she was the daughter of Darth Vader himself, but even her harshest critic couldn’t criticize her devotion to the cause of freedom and peace.  She was a role model for more than just those that joined the Resistance, and she was respected even within the ranks of the First Order.

Killing her son would likely do more harm to the First Order than good.  Oh, Hux could see it now. General Leia Organa, the former Princess of Alderaan, dressed somberly on holovids, speaking with great sorrow about the loss of her son and how the First Order needed to pay and be taken to task for it.  People would be flocking to the Resistance in their droves.

As much as Hux knew the benefit of having a good army backing you, he also knew the benefit of having good propaganda there too.

The First Order had benefited greatly from a strong propaganda campaign.  They’d been able to slip into those systems that the Galactic Senate hadn’t yet been able to reach and had converted them to the First Order cause with carefully edited holovids reminding them of the prosperity they’d seen under the Empire, but not the tyranny, and had provided them with testimonials from carefully selected First Order officers.

As a young, charismatic General, Hux had been at the forefront of those.  They were the same holovids that Ren had probably seen in the Republic.

Ren.

Everything came back to that man.  Kylo Ren. Ben Solo. General Organa’s son.  The current bane of Hux’s existence.

Hux had been so lost in his musings about the upcoming battle with the Resistance and The Ren Problem, that he hadn’t even noticed that his shift had ended an hour ago.  It wasn’t unlike Hux to spend extra hours on the bridge, especially during battle times such as this, but Hux had had a long day and he wanted nothing more than to retire to his quarters and get as drunk as he could while still being functional.

“Umano, the bridge is yours until Mitaka returns,” Hux said in his best authoritative General voice.  “If you get as much as a sniff of a Resistance ship, call me immediately.”

Hux was forcefully striding away before the response had even left Umano’s lips.

**

Hux returned to his quarters, ready to retire for the night.  He needed to snatch his rest while he could, if he was to be at 100% efficiency when the Resistance finally appeared.  Although, Hux knew that even operating at less than 100%, he and his fleet would be too much for the Resistance to handle.

That didn’t soothe the unease he felt though.  The whole situation with Kylo Ren had already spun too far out of control, and Hux couldn’t shake the feeling that the worst was still to come.  There was something about that last smile of Ren’s, the one the man had been wearing when Hux had left his cell earlier, that unnerved Hux.

From the corner of his eye, saw the bottle of whiskey he’d been drinking the night before still lying on his couch.  He’d been in too much of a daze in the morning to put it away, and it was calling to him now. He knew that he should sleep, but he also knew that sleep was unlikely to come.

Before Hux had time to question himself, he’d picked up the whiskey and two glasses and had headed towards the prison cells.

**

It was easy to tell that FN-2187’s gaze had quickly dropped to the whiskey and glasses in Hux’s hands, but the Stormtrooper made no comment.  He simply opened the cell door and stepped back so that Hux could enter.

Ren was lying down again, his eyes closed and his face a picture of soft contentment, despite the bruising still evident on his face.  He looked asleep, but as soon as Hux stepped into the cell, Ren’s eyes snapped open and the man was on his feet as if he was ready to fight whoever had interrupted his sleep.  He had moved like a man free of injury, but the stiff way he was holding himself after he stood showed quite clearly that he was still feeling the strong after effects of the previous interrogation.

“Quick reflexes,” Hux said in a tone that was almost complimentary.

The tension left Ren’s body and he sat back down.  “You never know when someone is going to try and kill you.”

“You don’t think I’m going to try and kill you?”

“No, I don’t,” Ren said.  He gestured at the whiskey in Hux’s hands before speaking again.  “But then again, maybe you will.” 

“You know the brand?”

“My father is from Corellia,” Ren said with a shrug.  “I think 50% of his blood is Corellian whiskey. I’m surprised that you drink it though as it’s from the heart of the Republic.”

“Do you want a glass?” Hux asked.

Ren was suspicious.  That much was obvious by the way his eyes narrowed as he stared at the bottle, and then at Hux.  “Is this a new interrogation technique? Get me drunk and then maybe I’ll talk?”

Hux shook his head, “no.”

“Then why are you here with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, General?”

That was a question that Hux couldn’t answer to himself, let alone to Ren.  It had been a spur of the moment decision from a General that didn’t usually do anything without contemplating every option, every possible outcome, and every possible way something could fail.  It wasn’t like Hux to act so impulsive, but maybe that’s how he needed to play it with Ren. 

Because for the first time since he’d first spoken to Ren, it was Ren that was unsure and adrift.  

“As well as being the leader of the Resistance, your mother is a senator and a Princess, is she not?”  Again, Ren flinched slightly at the mention of his mother, but he acknowledged that Hux was correct in what he was saying.  “It used to be that royalty, politicians and their families would be welcomed on board with a champagne reception. I have no champagne, but I do have Corellian whiskey.”

“So this is old fashioned hospitality.”  Ren’s tone was one of disbelief. 

“What can I say,” Hux said with a smirk, “I’m a traditionalist at heart.”

Ren scoffed, but accepted the glass with bruised fingers when it was offered to him.  There was no table in the cell, so Hux poured the whiskey into the glass Ren was holding, the intimacy of the situation suddenly reminding Hux of his childhood.  It was a custom on Arkanis for the one in a position of power to pour the drinks for his or her companions, and Hux could remember seeing his father do so many times, both for family and the other instructors at the academy.  To hold the bottle and decide how much each person would drink was to control the evening.

Hux wanted the power in this discussion with Ren, and he finally felt like he had it.  Hux was the General, and Ren was his prisoner, after all.

But Ren was no ordinary prisoner either.  Hux found his thoughts drifting back to the words he himself had uttered only moments before.  Ren was the son of the leader of the Resistance, the son of a senator, and the son of a princess.  Did that make Ren a prince? Alderaan had been destroyed before Ren had even been born, but was the man stood before him also known as Prince Ben?  Was there a crown to sit upon on that thick, pullable hair? A cape to adorn those broad, strong shoulders?

Hux didn’t know, and he wasn’t about to ask.

Ren was watching Hux with great interest, but had yet to drink his whiskey.  That was wise, Hux thought. If he had been in Ren’s position, he wouldn’t have drunk anything until Hux did either.

Hux poured himself a generous shot of whiskey and held his glass in the air.  “To the glory of the First Order,” he toasted, before knocking back the shot in one long breath.

Ren rolled his eyes before adding his own toast.  “And to you, General Hux.”

Hux was surprised by Ren’s choice in toast, but pleasantly so.  “Why to me, Ren?”

“Why not?” Ren said with a shrug, wincing slightly as the action jarred his torture damaged right shoulder.  “You’re a very interesting man.”

Again, Hux was surprised.  He’d been called many things throughout his life, but interesting had not been one of them.  His time at the academy had been dominated by his studies. As the son of the academy’s most senior officer, Hux had been unfairly singled out by his peers as receiving benefits the others did not.  Nepotism was not something that Brendol Hux believed in, or something his son would have accepted, and every grade and commendation that Armitage Hux had received, had been one he had earned.

At first, it had been difficult to make his jealous classmates understand that, and the young Hux had been bullied and beaten.

So, Hux had worked and worked until there were no questions left to answer.  Nobody could accuse Hux of being the recipient of favoritism when his shooting scores were better even than his instructor’s.  Likewise, when Hux’s armies always won the war game simulations no matter what strategic handicaps they were given, there were no more whispers of nepotism.

Hux had worked so hard, that he had had no time for outside interests.  Whereas the other cadets would trade holovids, books and games in their free time, Hux would be in the library, nose deep in another study of Empire battle tactics.  After the academy, when he joined the First Order officially, his spare time was shared between more tactics books and carefully planning which senior officers he needed to befriend, and which ones to stab in the back.

Hux hadn’t just become General and been given the Finalizer through luck - he’d lied, manipulated and even killed to get there.

He was determined.  He was dangerous. But interesting?  That was new.

“I think there’s a lot more to you than a love of Empire tactics and a regulation haircut,” Ren continued.

Hux poured them both another drink, and didn’t speak until both drinks had disappeared.  “Do you? And what do you think there is?”

Ren paused for a second.  “Do you have a cat? No? Hmmm, how about a lover?”

Hux’s back straightened, as if he was a cadet again that was waiting for inspection.  “That’s an inappropriate question.”

“That’s another no then,” Ren smirked.  “Okay, you’re obviously very proud of this ship, as it was the first thing you spoke about when we met.”

“The Finalizer is the finest ship in the galaxy,” Hux replied.

“Yes, it looks very impressive from the cells,” Ren said sarcastically.  “Were you involved in the design?”

“I made a few… modifications,” Hux explained.  Some of the modifications had been based on technology stolen from Resistance ships, but Hux wasn’t going to admit that to Ren.

“So you have a passion for technology and design.”

“You consider that to be interesting?” Hux asked, raising one eyebrow in question as he poured another drink for them both.

Ren shrugged.  “It depends on what you’re designing.”

Hux’s mind quickly drifted back to his masterpiece, Starkiller Base.  Oh, how he longed to stalk the halls there again, and to see his idea become his ultimate triumph as the galaxy bowed to the might of the First Order.  Patience Hux, patience. A few more weeks of waiting were not much to ask for when at the end was a legacy that would last forever.

“I’ve just made a few changes to already existing technology,” Hux lied, “nothing more interesting than that.”  Ren had a strange look on his face that looked almost confused, but Hux decided to ignore it and instead poured Ren another drink.  He was drinking them faster than Hux. “Enough about me, what interests you?”

The confused look remained for a few more seconds, but Ren quickly tried to return to a more neutral expression.  He almost succeeded. “Right now, you do.”

Hux nearly choked on his whiskey.  “Why is that?”

“Because I don’t understand you, General,” Ren explained, “and I hate not understanding people.”

Ren seemed a little unsteady on his feet.  Corellian whiskey was potent, especially for people who weren’t heavy drinkers, and it seemed that Ren was not someone who had a particularly high tolerance for it.  It was the drink of choice among the higher officers in the First Order so Hux had become accustomed to its effects, and that was the main reason why he’d taken that bottle from his couch instead of stopping to take another.

“I think I’m a reasonably straightforward man to understand,” Hux said, amusement evident in his tone.  “I live to serve the First Order.”

“That’s what I thought,” Ren said, “but that’s what I don’t understand.”

“What exactly is it that you’re having problems with, Ren?”

“How does bringing me a wet towel yesterday to soothe my headache, and whiskey today serve the First Order?”

They didn’t, of course.  Hux knew that, and Ren probably did too.  They served Hux and his all too human weaknesses.  Hux had tried so hard to leave every scrap of his humanity behind as he’d progressed through the ranks of the First Order.  There was no room for human sentiment in a First Order uniform, and as he put on each piece of that uniform each morning, from the perfectly black socks to the pressed pants, the starched tunic to his prized great coat, Hux felt a little bit of his lingering humanity slip away.

The uniform was his armor.  It was his reminder of who he was and what he was doing, and it served as an incentive to complete any task that was put before him, no matter how dirty.  If Hux ever wavered, he’d just look at the insignia on his arm and his certainty in his convictions would return.

There were, however, some baser instincts that the uniform couldn’t repress.  There were those all too human emotions that even perfect little generals like Hux couldn’t eradicate, and it was those emotions that Ren was pulling out, piece by piece.  Hux had considered himself to be made of stone, but somehow, Ren was making him bleed.

Loneliness, a need for companionship, lust…. Not even the dream that was Starkiller Base could kill the need for those.

But how was Ren, this jumble of too long legs, too long hair, a too long nose and a too long gaze, pulling those strings that Hux had thought he’d cut years ago, and most importantly, why was Hux letting him?

And that was the real worry, wasn’t it?  Hux didn’t need to be in this cell with Ren.  He’d never needed to be. Hux had willingly walked into this trap that Ren hadn’t even known that he’d set, and Hux had fooled himself into thinking he was doing so out of boredom.  It had never been his need to alleviate his boredom that had dragged Hux down to the cells to see Ren, it had been his dick.

Phasma had recognized it from the start when she’d teased Hux for wanting to talk to the prisoner, but Hux hadn’t recognized it himself.  Not then, at least.

He should have recognized it when he dreamt about Ren and woke up harder than he had in recent memory.  He should have recognized it when he had stood a few feet away from Ren and found himself imagining how Ren’s lips would feel around his cock.  And he should definitely have realized it when he found himself looking forward to another witty exchange with a Resistance affiliated smuggler.

Now that Resistance affiliated smuggler was in fact Ben Solo, son of General Organa and possibly a kriffing prince, Hux should have run away.  He’d always had an interest in power and the men who wielded it, that’s why Hux had worked hard to gain all of the power he could for himself, and the man in front of him stood to inherit the type of power rarely seen - the Senate, the Resistance, and stars only knew what else. 

Ren was staring at Hux, his deep brown eyes crinkled at the edges with a look that seemed almost amused.  That’d be the whiskey, Hux thought. 

“You think very loudly,” Ren said with a smile.  The split lip he sported made it no less devastating.  “Are you going to answer my puzzle and put my mind at rest?”

Was Hux going to tell Ren that he’d mopped his brow and plied him with whiskey out of a misplaced and ill advised infatuation with him?  Not likely.

“The benefits of my actions to the First Order are not for you to know,” Hux said.  “I have my reasons, and mine they will remain.”

“Fine, keep your secrets,” Ren said, tapping the tip of his nose with his index finger in a way that was uncoordinated enough to almost be endearing, “I have another question.”

“Yes?”

“What are you going to do with me?”

A million answers ran through Hux’s mind, and most of them were not ones he would repeat in polite company.  Maybe the whiskey was affecting him more than he thought. “You are to remain my prisoner, for the time being.”

Ren lay down.  Hux couldn’t take his eyes from Ren’s legs as he stretched them out along the uncomfortable bed in the cell.  “I can think of worse places to be.”

Hux poured Ren another drink, but neglected to pour himself one.  “You’re the son of the Resistance leader. Where could possibly be worse than a cell on a First Order ship?”

Ren took a sip of his whiskey before replying.  His alcohol induced poor coordination coupled with the odd angle he was lying in meant that more missed his mouth and ran down his neck than was actually drunk.  Hux resisted the urge to run over and lick it away. “I don’t think you’ll kill me,” Ren said. “I’ve been in many cantinas where I couldn’t say the same.”

“Do you make a habit of going to dangerous cantinas?”

Ren smiled.  “More than I would like.  They’re great sources of information, if you can stand the nerfherders drinking there.”

“I didn’t think that the Resistance would dirty their hands with the scum in cantinas,” Hux said.

Hux knew full well that the Resistance were not above buying information from drunks and thieves, but now that Ren’s tongue had been seemingly loosened by a few shots of Corellia’s finest amber, he was eager to keep Ren talking about anything.  It was in these times, just two drinking partners talking about their experiences, that people unknowingly let little secrets and pieces of information slip. It had been a tactic that he had utilized to great success at the academy, and it was one that he thought would work on Ren.

“What makes you think I was there on Resistance business?”

Hux blinked.  “Why else would you be after information, if not for the Resistance?”

Ren opened his mouth to say something, and then promptly shut it again.  There had been something there, some secret he was going to spill, but he had locked it back down as quickly as it had come to his mind.  

Close but yet so far.

“My head hurts,” Ren said instead.  “Will you mop my brow today, too?”

Hux sighed.  He recognized Ren’s words for what they were - he was taking control of the conversation again and shutting down Hux’s line of questioning.  Although Hux had not learnt the Resistance secrets he had hoped, he had learned something. It seemed that Ren was involved in something that wasn’t fully under the Resistance umbrella.  Maybe he was working on something fully independent of it, or maybe he was working on something that would eventually become part of the Resistance.

The First Order had spies in some of the most dangerous cantinas in the world.  Hux would have to find out if any of them had spotted Ren, and what they knew of his movements.  

“Not today,” Hux replied before adding, “I have business to attend to.”

Ren put his glass on the floor, his long arms covering the distance easily from his position half hanging off his concrete cot.  The weird position seemed to relieve some of the strain that Ren still felt in his muscles, or maybe that was the alcohol. “What business could you have that’s more important than the son of the General of the Resistance?”

Hux had a lot of important work waiting for him.  He was in his off cycle, but there were still preparations to be made and checked for the inevitable oncoming Resistance rescue attempt, there were reports from Starkiller Base to read, and there were training reviews from Phasma that were still outstanding in his inbox.  On a regular day, Hux would have been working on all three, even during the time that should have been reserved purely for sleep, but instead he was sharing his best whiskey with Prince kriffing Ben.

This had to stop, he knew.  His little infatuation was affecting his work.  He needed to leave Ren’s cell and never come back unless it was to hand deliver an execution order.  Supreme Leader Snoke would be disgusted and infuriated by Hux’s distraction, if he didn’t know about it already.

Hux felt bile rising in the back of his throat when he realized that he still hadn’t told Snoke about Ren.  When Ren had just been a smuggler and Resistance sympathizer, not telling Snoke had been the right course of action.  Hux had had full confidence in that. But now, it no longer was. Snoke was determined to wipe out the Resistance and Galactic Senate so that the First Order could rule unhindered, and Ren could have information locked in his mind that would achieve both.  Hux couldn’t get that information and Lieutenant Rivas couldn’t, but Hux had no doubt that Snoke could strip Ren bare and read the lines etched into his soul.

Snoke was also obsessed with finding Luke Skywalker.  Hux knew little about the Force and those that could use it, and he cared even less, but if he remembered his Empire history classes and gossip correctly, Ren was related to Skywalker.  Did he know where Skywalker was? Withholding Ren from Snoke was borderline treason. Yet still, Hux was lingering in Ren’s cell instead of immediately contacting Snoke.

He didn’t want to do it.  He didn’t want to see the sharp wit and sparkling eyes of the man lying before him be extinguished by Snoke’s mental torture.  The physical torture that men like Rivas employed was painful and debilitating, but a strong mind could withstand it and remain intact.  But, the mental torture of Snoke could turn a man inside out and reduce him to nothing, all without a touch.

Hux couldn’t do it.

Not for information he doubted that Ren even had, and certainly not for Skywalker.

Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, the twin children of the man that had once been Anakin Skywalker.  Although Hux had learned about both of them during his time at the academy, their relation to the future Darth Vader had never been taught.  No, Hux had discovered that information the same way the rest of the galaxy had, by reading trashy tabloid stories leaked by one of Organa’s political rivals.  Hux had admired that action at the time. The utter ruthlessness of trying to destroy Leia’s campaign by revealing her parentage and suggesting she could be the next Vader had been a masterstroke.  Hux would have done the same.

And now before him, was Leia’s son… the grandson of Darth Vader.  

“Wait,” Hux said.  “Yesterday, you told me about your grandfather and his role in the Empire.”

Ren laughed.  It was both mocking and beautiful at the same time.  “You finally figured that one out, huh?”

“Lord Vader,” Hux said, unable to keep the quiet awe out of his voice that had been drilled into him since his baby teeth had been able to form the word ‘Vader’ correctly.  “And uncle Luke Skywalker, yes? Your family tree is ridiculous.”

Ren laughed again.  “I’m sure you meant that as an insult, but I’m inclined to agree with you.  My grandmother was a Queen of Naboo too, just so you know.”

“And here you are, drunk in a First Order cell and boasting of trips to dangerous cantinas.”

“Well someone has to be the family disappointment,” Ren said.

He was joking, Hux could tell, but there had been a tone to Ren’s voice that said that part of Ren had believed everything he’d just said.  Despite being the youngest general that either the Empire or the First Order had seen, Hux could relate to the feeling of never quite living up to those that came before you.

“Is that how you see yourself, or is it how your family see you?” Hux asked.

“Does it matter?” Ren said.  “Maybe I’m a disappointment to all of the heroes that spent their lives working for the greater good to the point that they ignored their own families, or maybe,” he said, before pausing for, Hux was sure, dramatic effect, “I’m just drunk and trying to waste your time.”

“My time is too precious to be wasted.”

“Yet here you are,” Ren said, with an uncoordinated flourish of his arms, “wasting your oh so precious time with me.  Again.”

Hux scowled.  He wasn’t just wasting time with Ren, he was delaying work and cutting into his already too short sleep time.  He didn’t know what he hoped to achieve by speaking to Ren again, but Hux was certain that he wasn’t achieving it.  Whatever it was.

Hux decided to take Ren’s words as the advice they hadn’t meant to be, and made preparations to leave.  His own glass was empty and the bottle was still in his hand, considerably emptier than it had been earlier, so he leaned down to pick up Ren’s empty glass from where it remained on the floor near Ren’s bunk.

Hux’s breath caught in his throat when he felt heavy fingers slide into his hair.  Ren’s fingers were nervous to begin with, just a still weight that sent fire through Hux’s veins due to their very existence.  Hux didn’t move. He wasn’t sure that he had enough control left in his limbs to move, even if he had wanted to.

And he didn’t want to.  It had been so long since he’d let anyone past his defences, and he suddenly realized that he had, if only a little, allowed Ren in.  There was a crack in that hardened shell that he’d encased himself in after leaving the academy and joining the First Order, and it had been made by the same ridiculously big hand that was only just beginning to stroke through his hair.

Hux didn’t reveal anything to himself to other people.  He didn’t listen to stories of family woes from others, or share his best whiskey with people he barely knew.  Even his relationship with Phasma, arguably the only thing approaching a friend that he had, was conducted at arm’s length.  

Hux hadn’t been touched with something approaching genuine affection in years.  His one night trysts with the petty officers he could manipulate and dispose of served the purpose of scratching an itch that he wished he could eliminate.  There were no gentle touches, no conversations, no shared camaraderie about how families could fuck you up - just skin, and sweat and strength.

Hux didn’t allow any of them to touch his hair.  And he certainly would never lean into the touch, his eyes drifting closed as he allowed himself a taste of something he wasn’t allowed to take.

“It’s softer than it looks,” Ren said quietly, his blunt nails lightly scratching Hux’s scalp.

Hux wasn’t sure if he moaned out loud or just in his head, but he knew that the involuntarily shudder that ran down his back was definitely real.

When Ren spoke again his voice was even quieter, as if anything louder would break the dreamlike atmosphere that had filled the cell.  “Look at me.”

Hux did so without thinking, and without question.  Ren’s eyes were fixed on him with a stare that was intense, soft and a million other contradictions all rolled into one.  Hux couldn’t look away, he simply found himself falling deeper and deeper as Ren’s fingers slipped from his hair to trace along his cheek.

They were close now.  Close enough for Hux to see each scratch on Ren’s face individually, close enough to see the moles that were artfully placed across the prisoner’s face and close enough to see that Ren’s eyes weren’t truly the dark brown that Hux had first thought, but were instead a mix of amber and an earthy color that reminded him of the bark that grew on the trees back on Arkanis.

Hux fell to his knees and inched closer, his hand coming up to grip Ren’s wrist in a motion that wasn’t meant to push Ren away, but was meant to ground Hux through a situation he had rapidly lost control of.  He wondered, briefly, what was Ren seeing when he looked at Hux? Did he see a General that was embarrassing himself and risking more than he should by letting a prisoner get too close, or did Ren see a touch starved, lost little man that hid behind his rank and projected a ruthless strength that he had carefully constructed over two decades of military training to hide his Daddy issues and failings?

Ren guided Hux’s face closer, his tongue darting out to moisten dry, cracked lips.  Kissing Ren would be the gravest mistake he could make, Hux knew. Yet he didn’t pull away.  He wanted to feel those plush lips against his own, and wanted to hear the noises his own lips could wrench out of Ren.

It would be a mistake, the worst of his career, it would shame him, Ren would have power over him, he wanted it so much…

Hux was saved by the loud, obtrusive sound of the Finalizer’s proximity alarms.

Hux pulled away like he’d been shot by a blaster, and scrambled to his feet as far away from Ren as the tiny cell would allow.  Despite the distance, he could still feel Ren’s fingertips on his cheek. He banged on the cell door as an order to FN-2187 to hurry up and open it, and fought the urge to look back at Ren.  Ren’s eyes had been so open to him, so inviting, and Hux had felt himself falling into their brown depths. He couldn’t risk looking back.

If he did, he’d be lost.

The door opened and Hux ran.  Anyone that saw him would’ve thought he was running to the bridge to coordinate the attack on the Resistance ships that had popped out of hyperspace next to the Finalizer, and he was, but there was an equally large part of him that was running away from Ren.

No matter what happened with the Resistance, Hux wouldn’t visit Ren again.  He’d hand Ren over to Snoke like he should have done days ago, and be done with it all.

He had to.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go from bad, to worse, to critical for General Hux

Hux made it to the bridge just in time to see the first wave of attack from the X-Wings.  By his count, there were three squadrons and a Resistance cruiser, which was staying just out of reach of the Finalizer’s cannons.  Hux had expected more, but he wasn’t going to take the Resistance lightly. 

He watched as a group of TIE Fighters screamed past the Finalizer and engaged the X-Wings.  The TIE Fighters had more firepower, but the X-Wings were more nimble, and they were able to dive and roll out of the path of most of the fire that came their way.  That was always how these battles went though, in Hux’s experience. The X-Wing’s would evade the TIE Fighters but eventually, they’d be picked off one by one.

It would end no other way.

The worry was that an X-Wing or two would break the tight formation they usually kept and make a break for the Finalizer itself, hoping to slip between all of the cannon fire and make it to a landing bay amidst the confusion of the dog fight.  It was the type of trick Poe Dameron would try, and likely succeed at, and Hux quickly scanned the information on his datapad to see which fighter belonged to Dameron.

“Mitaka, make sure you don’t take your eyes off that fighter,” Hux said, pointing out Dameron’s, “he’s the most likely to make a break for the Finalizer.  I want two TIE Fighters on his tail at all times. If one gets shot down, replace it.”

“Yes, sir,” Mitaka said quickly, stabbing at his datapad with his index finger to relay Hux’s orders and keep Dameron in view.

Hux continued to watch as an X-Wing was shot down, followed by a TIE Fighter.  Running the Finalizer and commanding 80,000 people was an honor, but leading a battle and destroying the enemies of the First Order was what he lived for.  Due to entering the delicate final stages of Starkiller Base’s completion and the need to not draw attention the First Order’s way, it had been too long since Hux had seen a proper battle.  It was all he could do to keep the satisfied smirk from his face that threatened to break out.

He should have known that it was all about to go wrong.

“Sir.”  Hux was interrupted from his thoughts by the nervous stammering of one of his bridge officers.  “We might have a situation.”

Hux narrowed his eyes and almost took satisfaction when the officer took a step back.  “What do you mean, a ‘situation’?”

“All of the security cameras in the cell blocks have stopped working.  We have tried to contact the Stormtroopers on duty there, but the comm links are non-responsive.”

“Well, don’t just stand there!  Send some more troopers down there to find out what is going on!”

“Yes… yes sir!”

The cell blocks… Ren…

Suddenly, Hux had a bad feeling about this.

He was momentarily distracted from his worries about Ren when an X-Wing came roaring towards the bridge of the Finalizer before being shot to pieces in an impressive ball of flames by a TIE Fighter.  The fight still continued outside of the bridge windows, and Hux could see from his datapad that both sides had suffered an equal number of losses. Dameron’s X-Wing was still in the thick of the fight, and Hux had to admit that he was impressed with the skill he was showing, even if he was rebel scum.

It didn’t take long for the report to come back from the cells, and when it came it was as a short two sentence message that popped up on Hux’s datapad that made his blood run cold.

_“There is no sign of the prisoner and all of the Stormtroopers that were assigned to the cell block have been disabled.  Also, we found FN-2187’s armor discarded in Kylo Ren’s cell, but not FN-2187 himself.”_

Hux gripped his datapad so tightly that he heard the plastic casing begin to crack.  Not only did he have a Resistance fleet blowing up his TIE Fighters outside his viewport, but he also had an escaped prisoner on the loose that appeared to have been released by a Stormtrooper turned traitor.  He could see all of his tightly planned preparations begin to unravel and began to pace along the bridge.

He should have suspected something was amiss when Ren had asked for FN-2187 to be a witness at his execution, but Hux had been so preoccupied and smug with joy at having the son of General Organa in his cells, that Ren’s odd request had barely registered.  That was negligent of him, and not the type of mistake that General Armitage Hux would usually make, but then again, he’d done nothing but make mistake after mistake since Ren had been captured.

“Mitaka!” he said loudly, just falling short of a shout, “put out a ship wide alert.  We have an escaped prisoner on our hands, and it appears he may not be working alone.  I don’t care what it takes, we have to find them!”

Mitaka’s eyes widened at the news that Ren had an accomplice, but he knew better than to question what Hux had said and instead, immediately relayed the message.  

It had been a couple of years since there had been a report of a defector from the First Order.  It was always a concern with the Stormtroopers that were still within the first year of their active duty, but any signs of desertion were usually recognized early and snuffed out with a round or two of reconditioning.  Hux didn’t recall FN-2187 ever being a concern, and made a note on his datapad to revise the Stormtrooper assessment program when this fiasco was all over with.

If he used a few more exclamation marks than normal, then that was purely due to the urgency of the revision, and not a sign of his current mental state.

Hux watched with a sneer as Poe Dameron’s X-Wing came flying past the viewport at a close enough range that Hux could see the orange markings on the BB unit at the back of the fighter.  It was hardly surprising that a high ranked pilot and maverick like Dameron was leading such a fool hardy crusade as the one the woefully outclassed Resistance were currently on. But maybe they weren’t quite as outclassed as Hux would have thought, as another close pass from Dameron allowed Hux to recognize the modifications that had been made to the X-Wing.  New thrusters, improved guns… Hux’s engineer brain was almost impressed.

None of it mattered though because Hux would not allow Dameron’s dirty Resistance boots to sully the floors of Hux’s star destroyer.  There would be no infiltration or rescue, just annihilation for Dameron and the other X-Wing’s buzzing around the Finalizer like flies.

As confident as Hux was about the outcome of what was happening outside his star destroyer, he was less confident about what was happening inside.  His confidence fell even further when another officer ran up to him, her face as pale as Hux’s own.

“We have another situation, General,” the officer said nervously.

“What is it,” Hux stated through gritted teeth.

“There appears to be problems in sector 7G.”

7G?  Hux consulted the schematic of the ship that he kept locked away in his brain and quickly came to realize that 7G was “...droid maintenance?”

The officer nodded her head.  “That is correct, General. The sensors are picking up several small fires, and all of the camera feeds have been rerouted to a different part of the ship.”

Things just kept getting worse and worse, Hux thought.  “Someone hacked the system? Wait, what part of the ship are the feeds showing instead of droid maintenance?”

The officer looked even more nervous.  “It appears to be the men’s bathroom on deck 487, General Hux.”

The immaturity of choosing the man’s bathroom for the rerouted feed was not lost on Hux.  Someone was trying to make a fool of him, and Hux had this sinking feeling that the problems in droid maintenance were linked to the problems in the prison blocks and his runaway prisoner.  Ren had a droid there, after all, a rather animated and spirited droid at that, if Hux recalled correctly. It all had to be connected.

“Mitaka, please add an amendment to that alert you issued earlier.  We have a prisoner, an accomplice, and possibly an R2 unit on the loose.  I want them all taken alive, if possible.”

Remaining on the bridge while everything was unraveling around him was driving Hux insane.  He had an entire Star Destroyer and all of her firepower and arsenal at his command, yet he felt powerless.  All he could do was watch as more X-Wings flew past, ducking and diving the TIE Fighters and the cannon fire that was on their tail, never coming closer to the Finalizer, but never moving further away either.

Wait.  The X-Wings truly weren’t coming closer.  Other than for the occasional sweeping run from Dameron, they were keeping their formation at a suitable distance from the Finalizer.  And even Dameron’s close runs were due to him trying to shake off the TIE Fighters that Hux had told to shadow him. 

Something wasn't right, Hux knew.  Shouldn’t the X-Wings have been trying to get closer?  They were here to rescue a prisoner, but they were making no moves to try and infiltrate the Finalizer.  In fact, their entire battle tactics appeared to be wrong. The Resistance were the ones attacking the Finalizer, yet they were operating a defensive formation - they appeared to be toying with the TIE Fighters instead of trying to shoot them down.

They were distraction tactics, Hux realized.  The X-Wings had no intention of somehow infiltrating the Finalizer and rescuing Ren, they were simply providing a distraction.  Ren was rescuing himself, and he had a Stormtrooper turned traitor, and a maniacal droid to help him.

This time, Hux yelled his orders at Mitaka with such force that the young Lieutenant took a step back.  “Tell the pilots that are still on standby to stand down. I want all available personnel searching for Kylo Ren, FN-2187 and that damn droid!”

“Yes, sir!”

“What hangar is Ren’s ship located in?”

Mitaka’s hand shook as he checked his datapad.  Mitaka was a good and loyal officer, but he wasn’t at his best under pressure.  “Hangar 75a, General.”

75a was in a quieter part of the ship, Hux knew.  Far away from the hive of activity that would be the TIE Fighter hangars, and a place that was not likely to be heavily guarded at this moment.  “Contact Phasma, and tell her to send a battalion of Stormtroopers to 75a. I’ll meet them there.”

“You’re going yourself, General?” Mitaka asked, surprise evident in his voice.

“Yes, I am,” Hux replied.  “Someone has to contain this mess.  The bridge is yours.”

 

**

As Hux made his way to hanger 75a, pointedly ignoring the stares he was no doubt getting from his troops at the sight of the usually calm and controlled General running through the Finalizer corridors, he could feel his anger growing.  He was angry at Ren, and always angry at the Resistance, of course, but the main source of his anger was himself.

How had he allowed things to deteriorate to this degree?  How had the capture of a Resistance affiliated smuggler turned into General Organa’s son running loose on his ship, and Hux greatly underestimating and misreading an attack?  How had he got it all so wrong?

Of course, Hux knew why things had all gone wrong.  It was because he had let his guard down around Ren.  He’d underestimated the man because of the infatuation he had with him.  Hux had been more concerned with getting those pretty lips around his cock than he had with treating him like the prisoner he was, and now he was paying the price.

It was the first slip up he’d made in his entire life with the First Order, and if he wasn’t careful, it was likely to be his last.

Although, it stood a good chance of being his last, even if Ren was quickly captured and the Resistance ships outside defeated.  As soon as Snoke discovered what had happened, Hux knew that his life would be forfeit. Even now, he still hadn’t told Snoke that he had Ben Solo on his ship, nor had he contacted the Supreme Leader when an attack led by Commander Poe Dameron had appeared.

But that was something to worry about later.  First, he had to ensure that Ren was recaptured.

When Hux arrived at one of the side doors to hanger 75a, it was to the sound of blaster fire.  It appeared that not only had the Stormtroopers arrived there first, but that they’d found something worth shooting at.  Hux may have wanted to take control of the situation personally, but he wasn’t desperate enough to go running into a hanger full of blaster fire, and instead stepped behind a pile of crates just inside the hangar.  From his position, he could see the Stormtroopers to his left, and crouched behind another pile of crates in front of that junk freighter, was Ren, FN-2187 and the droid.

They were outnumbered and outgunned by the Stormtroopers.  It would only be a matter of time, Hux knew.

It seemed that FN-2187 recognized that too.  “There’s too many of them, Kylo. They’re too highly trained.  This isn’t going to work.”

Hux watched as Ren leaned out from the crate he was hiding behind and fired off two shots with a Stormtrooper issued blaster he must have picked up from somewhere.  Both bolts found a target, one to an arm and the other was a kill shot, and Hux had to be impressed with the accuracy, especially considering how quickly Ren had taken his shots.

“You’re right,” Ren agreed.  “Even if we defeat these guys, now that the First Order know that we’re here, they’ll just send more and more.  We need to get out of here quickly.”

“So, what’s the plan?” FN-2187 asked.

As far as Hux could tell from his viewpoint, Ren didn’t answer the traitor.  Instead, he turned to the droid, and Hux watched in confusion as a panel on the R2 unit’s casing opened, and a black cylindrical object came flying out and into Ren’s hand.  Hux’s first worry was that it was a bomb, but it didn’t look like any bomb Hux had seen before, and it wasn’t the Resistance’s usual type either. 

Then Ren activated the pipe, and a long beam of ice blue energy came shooting out of the top, and Hux recognized exactly what it was.

A lightsaber.

Ren stood up from behind the crate he’d been previously crouched behind, and effortlessly deflected some of the blaster bolts back at the Stormtroopers.  Some of the returned bolts hit the Stormtroopers, and some sailed harmlessly past and embedded into the hangar walls.

But then Ren stood impossibly straight, held out his left hand, and Hux could practically see the wave of energy that came from Ren’s hand and flew across the hangar before smashing into the Stormtroopers and sending them flying into the wall behind them.

Hux had learned about lightsabers, the Jedi, the Sith and the Force during his days at the academy.  He hadn’t believed any of it, and considered it nothing but nonsense wrapped up in half truths and exaggerations.  He’d also learned that even if true, the Force was no longer relevant in the galaxy of the First Order. The Sith had died with Lord Vader, and when Snoke achieved his goal of finding Luke Skywalker, the Jedi and the Force itself would die too.

The sight of Ren, standing impossibly tall and powerful with his blue lightsaber in his right hand, and his left still outstretched from when he’d taken out an entire Stormtrooper battalion in one easy motion, seemed impossible to Hux’s eyes.  The knowledge that it wasn’t, had shaken Hux’s understanding of the galaxy.

Hux wasn’t thinking clearly when he walked out from his safe place, blaster in hand, and approached the center of the hangar.  “Ren!”

Ren was breathing heavy, Hux could see.  He appeared to be practically crackling with energy, and it was having a heady effect on Hux’s usually clinical mind.  

Ren’s eyes widened when he saw Hux, but he turned away and spoke to 2187.  “Get the ship ready for take off. It’ll need untethering and clearance codes.  Take R2, he’ll be able to hack into the system.”

FN-2187 paused in shock as he realized who the tall, red headed figure in black that had approached Ren was, but he made no comment.  Finally, he nodded in wide eyed surprise and ran towards the small command center in the corner of the hangar. Before the droid followed, he unleashed a long string of aggravated sounding beeps in Ren’s direction.

Ren didn’t seem happy about whatever the R2 unit had told him.  “Kriff, that’s a problem I didn’t need. Get the ship ready R2, I’ll deal with the rest.”

“That was an interesting party trick,” Hux said, motioning with his arms towards the still unconscious Stormtroopers, “do you know any others?”

“This is pretty handy if you need to direct ships in the dark,” Ren replied, waving his lightsaber slightly.

Hux couldn’t take his eyes from it.  “I thought that the Jedi were extinct.”

“They are,” Ren replied.  “I’m not a Jedi. Or a Sith.”

“But you are a Force user, yes?  You could have broken out of that cell at anytime.”

Ren shrugged.  “It was never the right time.”

“You were waiting for Dameron to provide a distraction,”

“That was the plan.  Besides, I was enjoying your company.  I almost wish he’d waited for another day or two.”

Hux gripped the hilt of his blaster tighter.  Ren was making an even bigger fool of him than he had already, Hux knew, yet that was a hunger in Ren’s eyes that showed that maybe, he wasn’t entirely lying.  Maybe, Hux’s infatuation and inappropriate thoughts hadn’t been as one sided as Hux had originally thought. That was of small comfort though.

“We can’t always get what we want, Ren,” Hux replied smartly.  “What was the purpose of this plan, anyway? I doubt it was to just to see the inside of a prison cell.”

Ren paused for a few seconds, as if he was contemplating how to answer the question.  “I came for information.”

“Did you get it?” Hux asked, the firm grip on his blaster wavering slightly.

“Most of it,” Ren answered honestly.  

“But not all…” Hux thought back to earlier in the conversation.  “That was the problem the R2 unit told you about, wasn’t it?”

“You’re a clever man,” Ren said, with a hint of approval in his voice, “no wonder you made General so quickly.”

Well, maybe everything wasn’t a complete disaster if Ren hadn’t been able to get all of the information he needed, Hux thought.  But that led to the question, what information had Ren managed to acquire? The Finalizer holonet held no information on the Supreme Leader, but it did contain tactics, Star Destroyer schematics, future plans… and information on Starkiller Base.

Had Ren discovered the existence of Starkiller Base?  It was three weeks from completion and vulnerable, it was prime for a Resistance attack.  Hux could feel his life’s work, his glory and immortality slipping through his fingers.

Without thinking, he fired his blaster.

The bolt didn’t hit Ren.  Nor did it come roaring back at him.  Instead it stood frozen and hung in the air where Ren had literally stopped it dead.  It was weirdly beautiful, Hux thought. A crystallized bolt of pure sea blue energy, immobilized in time like the icicles that decorated the planet Starkiller Base was cannibalizing.

What was more beautiful, however, was the power it had taken to freeze that bolt.  The power that Ren had flowing through his already regal blood.

“Right again, General Hux,” Ren replied, as he deactivated his lightsaber.  He seemed to be paying no attention to the blaster bolt that still hung in the air, whereas Hux couldn’t take his eyes away from it.  “I have Starkiller Base.”

That gained Hux’s attention.  He hadn’t spoken the words ‘Starkiller Base’... did that mean that Ren had read his mind?  “You can read my thoughts?”

“Only the surface ones,” Ren replied.  “And only because you didn’t realize I could.”  Ren took a few steps forward. “I’ve been skimming your thoughts all along, Hux.  You’ve had some very interesting thoughts about me, haven’t you?”

Hux’s eyes widened in shock.  Ren had heard all of those thoughts?  He’d heard whenever Hux had allowed his fantasies to run rampant at the sight of Ren’s long legs, or his lips?  Hux tried to ignore the embarrassment he was feeling, but as he felt his cheeks heat up, he knew that his body and his naturally pale complexion was betraying him.

Hux was determined to gain a little bit of dignity back.  “Don’t try to pretend that those thoughts were one-sided.”

Ren smiled.  It was devastating up close, and they were close now, Hux realized.  Somehow, Ren had managed to come close enough to touch. “When did I ever say that they were?  I’d have let you do whatever you wanted to me.”

This was wrong, Hux knew.  There were TIE Fighters and X-Wing’s having a dog fight outside, and a battalion of unconscious Stormtroopers still lying on the ground behind him.  His career as a general of the First Order was in danger of going up in flames, and his very life was at risk when Snoke discovered exactly how deep his failings had run.  Yet here he was, staring into the honey brown eyes of the man that had ruined everything, and thinking of just exactly what he’d do to him, instead of how he could save his own skin.

He had to get himself back in check.  Armitage Hux the man had to be shoved back into his container, and General Hux, the youngest General in First Order and Imperial history and the commander of the Finalizer had to come to the forefront again.  It was time to forget the mistakes he’d already made, and ensure that no more were made.

Ren seemed to sense Hux’s change in resolve.  “Always fighting against yourself, aren’t you, General?”

“I should have had you killed the second you stepped foot on my ship.”

“Should have, but didn’t,” Ren replied.  “Just like I should have killed you as soon as you stepped into this hangar, instead of allowing you to hide and watch.”

“Looks like we’re both alive due to the other’s misplaced mercy,” Hux said, biting out the word ‘mercy’ as if it offended him to say it.

“So, what now General?  You must have realized by now that your chances of killing me with that blaster are very slim.”

Hux had realized that.  He had seen Ren counter so many blaster bolts already, including his own, in several different ways.  Hux was quick on the draw, but he had no doubt that the Force was quicker.

“I can’t stand by and let you leave,” Hux replied.

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Ren replied.  “Maybe I should kill you instead, but it seems that you have something I need.  The information R2 gathered on Starkiller Base is incomplete.”

Hux smirked.  Finally something was going his way.  “I’m not going to tell you anything about Starkiller.”

“I didn’t think you would,” Ren sighed.  “I think we’ve found ourselves at a bit of an impasse.”

“It would appear that way,” Hux agreed.

But that wasn’t entirely true, Hux knew.  It was only a matter of time before the bridge realized that Hux hadn’t checked in with them and sent more Stormtroopers to the hangar.  No matter how strong Ren was with the Force, sheer weight of numbers would eventually be his undoing, and Ren knew that too.

Hux only had to stall for time.

Hux’s breath caught in his throat when Ren’s left thumb slowly traced along the curve of Hux’s cheekbone.  There was a genuine, half smile on Ren’s face as his hand moved lower, and Hux instinctively leaned into the touch.  It was the second time that day that Ren had touched him with such soft reverence, and it was a touch that Hux could get used to, even if he felt he didn’t deserve it.

Men like him shouldn’t be touched with such gentle hands.  They were to be handled with the same cold, rough hands that they handled the lives of those around them with.  Hux’s hands were bloody and his soul was blackened with death and destruction, there should be no room for tenderness in his life and nobody willing to offer it.

Ren knew exactly who General Hux was.  The life of Ben Solo, and the lives of his family and friends were devoted to opposing the General Huxes of the galaxy.  Yet here Solo was, stroking Hux’s face with a humanity Hux was not worthy of.

All thoughts of stalling for time and the fighting happening outside the Finalizer slipped from Hux’s mind.  It felt like Ren had pulled him under water, as if the only thing his brain could process was the feel of calloused fingers against the soft skin of his face.

Was it the effects of the Force, or the effects of Ren?

“I’m sorry, General,” Ren said softly.

Hux was just about to form the words to ask why Ren was sorry, when his entire world went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger time!
> 
> I consider this chapter to be the end of part I of this story. Part II will start with chapter 8 next week, and you should see why I make this distinction then.
> 
> Thanks for all of the kind comments, kudos and support so far!
> 
> Here's some lovely art from the end of this chapter by [Katie's Ghost](http://katiesghosts.tumblr.com/post/179150456044/commission-for-rosensilence-and-her-story-the)  
> 


	8. Chapter 8 - Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tables are turned, and with them come a whole new set of problems.
> 
> And some of the old.

“Your mother’s not going to like this,” Poe had said when Ben had contacted him after he had managed to escape the Finalizer.  

From the look on General Organa’s face as Ben walked down the ramp of the Millennium Falcon with R2-D2, a former Stormtrooper and a still unconscious First Order General, he could see that Poe was annoyingly right, yet again.

The escape from the Finalizer had been, in the end, a little closer than Ben would have liked.  After he’d knocked out Hux with a little Force manipulation and carried him onto the Falcon, R2 and FN-2187 had quickly joined him and they’d been able to leave the Finalizer easily enough.  The difficulty had come from dodging the dog fight that they’d flown right into, as it seemed that every TIE Fighter in the area had their sights set on the Falcon.

Thankfully, Poe and the other Resistance pilots had come to Ben’s aide, and their help alongside Ben’s flying and the ex-Stormtrooper’s shooting skills had seen them able to escape the fight and dock with the Raddus before jumping to hyperspace and getting the kriff out of there.  

Ben had thought that the difficult part of the plan was over now that he’d managed to rescue himself from the Finalizer and had stolen the First Order’s most secret plans, but he’d forgotten how fearsome Leia could be when she was angry.  And she was angry, he knew. He didn’t need the Force to be able to sense the anger that she was radiating at the sight of him standing there with a First Order General hanging off his shoulder.

Leia had not, at any part, been in on Ben’s plan.  Only Ben himself, Poe and R2 had known about Ben’s plan to purposely get himself captured by the First Order.  Poe had tried to talk him out of it of course, but Ben had suspected that was less to do with Poe’s concern for Ben’s safety, and more to do with Poe’s jealousy because Ben was going to do something reckless and brave and usually, Poe had a monopoly on reckless and brave.  Thankfully, things had gone to plan, more or less. 

The more or less being the addition of a Stormtrooper and General Hux to his escape party.

Ben adjusted his grip on Hux’s waist, trying to redistribute the unconscious man’s weight a little more, and stood as tall as he could.  He held his head high with a confidence he didn’t feel, and greeted his mother. “Hello, mother.”

Although it wasn’t just his mother he was greeting.  Leia Organa stood before him, flanked by Vice-Admiral Holdo on her left, and a squad of Resistance soldiers behind her.  Ben sighed deeply when he realized that Poe must have informed them of the extra passengers he’d picked up from the Finalizer.

“What were you thinking, Ben?” Leia asked, her tone pitched halfway between motherly concern and the ire of a General.

When Ben had concocted his plan, all he’d been thinking about was how quiet the First Order had been in the last several months.  It was unlike them. Since the Resistance had first learned of their existence, the First Order had steadily taken planet after planet in the Outer Rim and Unknown Regions.  They had dismantled Resistance trade routes and established their own, quietly gaining in power while the Galactic Senate looked the other way.

Then, about six months ago, it had gone quiet.  There was still the occasional fight with a squadron of TIE Fighters to keep things lively, but the First Order’s advances in the Unknown Regions had seemed to slow to a halt.  The Resistance leaders had said that the First Order were just consolidating their power and their bases, but Ben had long suspected that the First Order were doing far more than that.  Leia had confided to him once that she shared his suspicions, but there had seemed to be no way possible to find out what the First Order were doing.

They had needed a spy, someone on the inside of the First Order, but the ranks of the First Order were hard to crack.  Their Stormtroopers were taken and trained from birth, and the officers came from legacy families or planets that long had sympathies for the Empire.  Getting a spy into the First Order wasn’t impossible, but it would take months, if not years, to achieve.

Ben had suspected that years was not something they could afford, so he’d decided to get himself captured, mask his Force abilities and see what information he could gleam from the minds of the First Order officers he interacted with.  R2 had been another integral part of the plan, as inside R2 he could hide his lightsaber, and the droid had a knack for stealing plans and finding information that should have been off limits to him.

Ben had never thought in his wildest dreams that he’d get to interact with General Hux himself, or that Hux’s surface thoughts would have been not only so easy to read, but so full of information.  He tried hard not to think about the other things Hux’s mind had been full of, and addressed his welcome party again.

“I know you want to yell at me,” because really, when did Leia Organa not want to yell at her son, “but can it wait?”

Ben shot all of his feelings of fear, accomplishment and urgency at his mother through the Force, and she seemed to understand them for the warning they were.  The time for arguments was later. Now, they had business to attend to.

“Who are your guests?”  It was Admiral Holdo that had spoken, and Ben knew that this question at least, had to be answered now.

“This is FN-2187,” Ben replied, gesturing to the ex-Stormtrooper with a nod of his head.  “He deserted the First Order and helped me escape.”

“I can vouch for that.”

Ah, here was Poe.  His X-Wing had followed the Falcon onto the Raddus and Ben had started to wonder where his old friend had disappeared to.  The friendship between Ben and Poe was strained at times as in so many ways they were each other’s biggest rivals, but ultimately Ben knew that Poe would always have his back, and he’d always have Poe’s.  That had been why Ben had trusted Poe with the details of his plan, yet hadn’t been surprised when Poe had contacted Leia in advance to tell her of Ben’s passengers.

“We’ll need to question him of course,” Leia said, addressing Ben, before turning to FN-2187, “but thank you for your help.”

FN-2187 seemed surprised at the simple words of gratitude, as if he’d never heard them in his life before.  He probably hadn’t, Ben realized. “You’re welcome, General,” the ex-Stormtrooper replied, stumbling over his words slightly.

“I’ll take care of him,” Poe said with a smile.  Ben had long envied Poe’s ability to disarm an entire room just with that smile, but he was glad for it at that moment.  “Make sure he’s comfortable, safe, and ready for questions.”

Leia nodded and Poe led FN-2187 away from the hangar, but not before winking in Ben’s direction.  That was Poe’s way of saying that he’d solved one problem for Ben, but Ben was on his own with the redheaded problem that was still knocked out and hanging off Ben’s shoulder.

Holdo took a couple of steps closer.  “Is that who I think it is?” she asked, pointing at the man wearing a crisp First Order uniform.

The uniform looked so out of place on the Raddus, Ben thought.  Although the Resistance had a uniform of sorts, it was nothing compared to the jet black and severe cut of a First Order uniform.  This uniform represented everything the Resistance was fighting against, and the man inside it had worn it with pride. It was no wonder that the Resistance soldiers stood behind Leia and Holdo had raised their weapons.

Ben sighed.  “Probably.”

“Ben,” Leia said.  She was using her senate voice, the one that ensured everyone in the vicinity was listening to her, and her only.  “Why is General Hux on my ship?”

“I will explain everything,” Ben replied, “but not here.  I have information you need to hear, and General Hux is part of that.”

“What did you do to him?” Holdo asked.  There was no fear or trepidation in her voice or body language at all, just a curiosity and surprise that Ben knew run deeper than surprise at Hux being there.  It was similar to what Ben felt when he’d met Hux that first time, and realized that the mighty General Hux was just a young and slender than expected man like any other.

“I knocked him out,” he replied, conveniently forgetting the part where he did it with the Force.  He was sure that his mother knew that already, and he didn’t want to draw more attention to his Force abilities than he had to.  “He’ll wake up in an hour or two.”

“We’ll put him in a holding cell until then,” Leia decided.

Ben handed the unconscious Hux to a couple of Resistance members that stepped forward with a stretcher and handcuffs.  The handcuffs were unnecessary Ben knew as Hux would remain out for the count until long after he'd been locked up, but he remained silent when they cuffed Hux.  He understood what Hux represented to everyone in that hangar, even if he’d come to mean more than that to Ben.

Ben quickly locked those emotions away until he had more time to face what they might mean, and wasn’t in the company of his Force sensitive mother. 

As Hux was being carried out of the hangar, Leia took her comm unit from her robes and summoned the Resistance leadership.  “Urgent debriefing in the meeting room. All senior personnel are required to attend.”

She pocketed the comm unit and fell in step with Ben as they migrated from the hangar to the meeting room.  “I hope your little escapade was worth it, Ben. We need some good news.”

Ben thought about what he’d learned, about Starkiller Base and the potential destruction it could wreak upon the galaxy.  “I have news. I’ll let you decide whether it’s good or not.”

**

The meeting room on the Raddus was small and rarely used.  Leia preferred a more open leadership, so most discussions took place on the larger bridge, where Resistance members of various ranks could come and find out what was happening first hand.  The choice of the meeting room was unusual, Ben thought, and his mood darkened as he realized why she’d probably chosen it.

It would be easier for Ben to deliver his information in front of a smaller crowd than on the bridge, and it would also be easier for Leia to explain away any screw ups he made along the way if it was a smaller, more trusted crowd.  The knowledge that Leia still didn’t trust him enough to formally induct him into the Resistance leadership, or allow him to address everyone on the bridge, hurt Ben more than he thought it still could.

He knew that he wasn’t the son that either his mother or father had wanted, and he knew that it was largely his own fault.  His adolescence had been difficult as his Force abilities had grown to a level that he had barely been able to control, and they had brought with them a darkness that he had barely been able to keep at bay.

He hadn’t managed to settle down and regain his control until his early twenties, and by that time, the damage had been done.  His father had returned to his smuggling ways, and his mother had thrown herself into her dual responsibilities with the senate and the Resistance, leaving Ben as an outsider looking in.  He wasn’t trusted enough to join the Resistance, was too much of a liability for the senate, and didn’t have the confident charm of his father to become a full time smuggler.

He had, eventually, found something approaching a home with the Resistance.  Having a talented Force user that had experience with every cantina in the galaxy had ensured that there was always something for him to do.  He wasn’t part of the leadership, but was more than just a pair of boots on the ground, and instead occupied a space that wasn’t quite there, and one he couldn’t quite fit in.  That had never felt more obvious than it did now, as he stood in front of the Resistance leadership.

They were a mix of the old, people from his mother’s generation that had given their youth to fighting the Empire and were now giving their middle age and beyond to fighting the First Order.  They’d seen it all before, and could recognize the danger signs that it was all happening again. They’d also all seen Ben grow up, from wailing in diapers, to his teenage force rages, and now, his seemingly aimless adulthood.

Then there was the younger leaders, people from Ben’s own generation that had grown up with war stories from their relatives and had misheard the death and destruction in those stories for glory and excitement.  They all worshipped Leia, and to a lesser degree Han, and saw nothing but disappointment in Ben. How could the son of two great war heroes have grown into such a failure?

Ben grabbed hold of the Force, covered himself in its soothing calm, and faced down the leaders that were eyeing him with suspicion.

“I have information,” Ben blurted out, not wanting to waste time on pleasantries that would fall on deaf ears.  

“Where did this information come from?” asked Major Ematt.

Ben bit his tongue, and answered in a calm and measured tone.  “It came directly from the databanks on the First Order’s flagship, the Finalizer.”

Ematt spoke again.  He was one of the older Resistance members, a long-time friend of Leia’s, and one of the most openly distrustful of Ben.  At least the others only criticized Ben behind his back. “How do we know that this information is trustworthy and not false information planted by the First Order?”

R2 beeped in indignation, but Ben kept his anger internal.  He could hear the whispers from the other members of the Resistance leadership, both the voiced whispers and the ones that slipped through their minds, and knew that they had all been swayed by Ematt’s suspicion.  It didn’t take much to make them suspicious of Ben, and the First Order had been known to plant incorrect information for them to find before. It had happened only six months ago, and that had somehow become Ben’s fault too, even though his only role in the incident had been as the one to discredit it.

Ben took a deep breath and crouched next to R2.  “Let’s show them what we got, buddy.”

With a quiet whir and an audible flicker, R2-D2’s projector sputtered to life and a large, spherical hologram appeared in the middle of the room.  It dominated the room and bathed everyone in an ethereal blue light. The chatter turned to silence, and everyone’s attention fell back onto Ben.

“This is Starkiller Base,” Ben announced.  “This is what the First Order have been working on.”

“It looks like a new Death Star,” Admiral Ackbar said, voicing the horror that everyone was thinking.

Ben shook his head.  “The Death Star was a weaponized space station.  This, is a weaponized planet. It’s size, firepower and potential for destruction is far beyond anything the Empire could have imagined.”

Any arguments that were forthcoming died when R2 began to project the schematics of Starkiller Base.  Ben didn’t understand all of the numbers that were on display, but he didn’t need to, not when the faces of the engineers in the Resistance leadership were growing paler by the second.  

“It utilizes the power of a sun and can destroy multiple planets at the same time,” Ben explained, remembering the short explanation that R2 had beeped at him, and the few details he’d poached from Hux’s mind.

Hux…  Ben tried not to think of the redheaded General.  His mother was present, and although she was distracted by the potential horrors of Starkiller Base, she always seemed to reserve a part of herself for monitoring Ben.

“The good news is that it isn’t finished, and R2 found a way to destroy it,” Ben explained as R2 zoomed in on the hologram to a small structure hidden within the planet.  “This is the thermal oscillator. It’s not finished yet, and even when it is it will still be vulnerable to attack.”

R2 showed the stunned crowd a demonstration of an X-Wing approaching Starkiller Base, targeting the oscillator and hitting it with one perfect shot.  The chain reaction it started quickly swept through the First Order base and then the planet, until it collapsed in on itself.

“Okay, let’s go there and let’s do this!”

The positivity and eagerness came from Poe, of course.  Ben hadn’t seen Poe sneak into the room during his presentation, but he was glad of the pilot’s presence.  With hotshot commander Poe Dameron on board and eager to attack, it was more likely that other Resistance leaders would believe the information Ben was sharing, and would be willing to act.  Ben could sense that the energy in the room had changed from distrust and horror, to a vague stirring of hope.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t going to be that simple.

Ben nodded in thanks to Poe, and then steeled himself for the rest of the discussion.  “There is one problem.”

“What problem is that, Solo?” Ematt asked.  “We have all the information we need to stage an attack and destroy this thing.”

“Some information is missing,” Ben said sadly.

Finally, Leia spoke.  She’d been sitting front and center throughout the meeting, quietly cataloguing everything that had been said and shown.  Ben had felt the lingering anguish of Alderaan’s destruction that she still held deep in her heart when the Starkiller Base projection had first been shown, and he’d then felt that give way slightly to the same hope that everyone else in the room had grabbed onto.  Whatever problems Ben had with Leia and their relationship, they didn’t mean that he was unaffected by her sadness. 

Leia stood, looking every inch the war general in her Resistance uniform, despite her royal upbringing.  “I see so much information about this Starkiller Base. We know all of its artillery, personnel, defences…  but I don’t see any information about its location.”

“That’s the one thing that R2 wasn’t able to find in the Finalizer databases,” Ben confirmed.  “We can blow it up, but we have to find it first.”

“It’s in the Unknown Regions, right?” Poe suggested.  “That’s where the First Order are hiding everything they do.”

“I think so,” Ben agreed.

“So what are we waiting for?  We get some scout ships out there and find it!”

Poe was halfway out of the room before Leia stopped him and called him back.  “Slow down, Poe. We can’t just send ships to the Unknown Regions and expect to find it.”“The Unknown Regions are too large,” Holdo said, picking up where Leia finished, “and the First Order control the skies there.  They’ll shoot down any of our ships as soon as they come out of hyperspace.”

“We won’t find it sitting here!” Poe said, his frustration plain in his voice.  

Ben could understand Poe’s frustration.  He had felt the same when R2 had told him during their Finalizer escape that the location was missing from the data R2 had managed to steal.  He had felt like everything had been for nought, that the information they had managed to gain had been rendered useless because of that last missing piece.  Ben had risked so much and had trusted his very life to the will of the Force when he’d allowed himself to be kidnapped, just to fail?

It had been with those thoughts running through his mind that he’d made his riskiest decision yet.

Leia ignored the still protesting Poe and spoke directly to Ben, her voice cutting through all of the voices in the room and rendering them all mute.  “That’s why you brought him, isn’t it Ben? That’s why General Hux is currently unconscious in one of our holding cells.”

The shockwave that went around the room at the knowledge that General Hux had been captured was easily felt even without the Force.  “He designed it,” Ben explained, “he’s been there, and he knows where it is.”

“He’ll be a tough nut to crack,” Ematt said.  “You couldn’t have captured someone who was less devoted to the First Order cause?”

“How about the Stormtrooper…?” Holdo asked.

“Ex-Stormtrooper,” Poe clarified, speaking over the renewed whisperings about a captured Stormtrooper, “and he doesn’t know anything about Starkiller Base.”

There was an uncharacteristic shyness that entered Poe’s eyes, and Ben resolved to question him about FN-2187 later.  “General Hux confronted me as I was about to escape. I took him because the opportunity presented itself.”

Poe looked back at Ben with equally inquisitive eyes, and Ben ducked his head, allowing his long hair to cover his face slightly as he felt his cheeks redden.  Trust Poe to see through his reasoning.

“We will question the General after he regains consciousness,” Leia decided.  “Hopefully he will be forthcoming with information, but I don’t hold high hopes of that.  In the meantime, it wouldn’t hurt to send some unmarked ships to the Unknown Regions. Strictly unmarked ships, no X-Wings, Y-Wings, or anything else that is obviously ours.  We’ll also contact some of our informants out there - a project of this size will have needed a lot of materials, maybe we will get lucky and be able to follow the trail of materials back to the location.”

The rest of Leia’s instructions became white noise to Ben’s ears as he blocked them out and continued to stare at Starkiller Base.  It was a feat of engineering like no other, even the Death Star itself paled in comparison to the genius that had gone into its design and construction.  It was also an abomination, something that should never have been conceived or brought into existence. What kind of mind could create something capable of such death and destruction?

How could the mind that have done so, been the same mind that had mopped Ben’s brow when he’d been in pain?  How could it be the same man whose hair had felt so soft under Ben’s fingers, his skin so warm, and his eyes so open?

Ben cloaked himself in the Force again and slipped out of the meeting room unnoticed.  He headed straight for the brig, determined to be there when Hux woke up. He wanted to speak to Hux first - before his mother, and before anyone else.

Until Hux did wake up, Ben had a lot of thinking to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So much exposition and plot building! I'm sorry!
> 
> Don't worry though, Hux will be back next week and the mutual pining will begin again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben seeks out the Resistance's newest prisoner, General Hux, but what is it that he hopes to find?

Sometimes, being the son of the leader of the Resistance did have its advantages, and top of that shortlist was the ability to stalk around any Resistance base or ship with impunity.  Ben had taken great advantage of this over the years, finding empty rooms to run through his lightsaber forms, and storerooms to hide in when he didn’t want to face his family. It had been a few years since he’d done that last one, but the urge to hide away from human contact still burned under his skin occasionally.

He was able to make his way to the brig without as much as a raised eyebrow in his direction, and it left him wondering just how many times people had seen him wandering the corridors alone that his wanderings didn’t even warrant a look anymore.  

The brig on the Raddus was small, even by Resistance standards, and never saw much action.  It wasn’t the Resistance’s style to capture enemies, and it was even rarer for any Resistance members to threaten desertion, so usually the cells were empty shells, staffed by a skeleton crew of bored youngsters that had to earn their stripes guarding nothing but air.

They had something far more important than air to guard right now, and the energy in the air was palpable.  

Ben’s muffled greeting was met with an enthusiasm he rarely saw from other Resistance members, and he had to stifle his amusement at the formality of the escort to Hux’s cell.  They’d placed Hux in the last cell of the block, the one furthest away from the exit, and the one monitored by the most cameras. A wise choice, Ben thought. The durasteel cell door opened with a satisfyingly heavy clunk, and Ben walked inside.

The Resistance cells were by no means luxurious, but they were far more comfortable than the cell Ben had occupied on the Finalizer.  There was a table and two chairs, all bolted down of course, a sink, and even the toilet was hidden behind a privacy screen. The bed was in a similar position against the wall as it had been on the Finalizer, but instead of being nothing more than harsh concrete that had been cut into the wall, there was a mattress and pillow that although thin, looked infinitely more comfortable than what Ben had dealt with.

Upon that mattress, curled on his side and still unconscious, was General Hux.

His back was facing Ben, but his great coat and boots had been removed.  Ben had never seen Hux without his ankle length coat, and without it he looked a lot slimmer than Ben had thought.  The uniform Hux still wore was pure black, the only spot of color coming from the First Order logo on the upper arm and the stripes around his forearm that confirmed his rank as a General.  Even his socks were perfectly black and there was something about seeing Hux’s curled toes that distracted Ben far more than something so innocuous should have.

Ben had not yet been able to unravel the complex ball of feelings he felt towards Hux.  There was the anger and hatred that the son of General Leia Organa should have towards such a high ranking First Order official, and that was propped up whenever Ben caught sight of the lingering marks left by the interrogations Hux had ordered.  He’d been able to do minor self healing using the Force since he was thirteen, so thankfully the bruises and pain were far less than they should have been, but the damage had still been done.

Wrapped tightly alongside that anger and hatred was something that Ben feared to put a name to.  Hux had been snappish and condescending in his words to Ben, but shockingly kind and caring in his actions, and it had all left Ben with an emotional whiplash that he hadn’t had time to process.  His solitary hours in his cell had been spent mainly meditating, as he’d had to use all of his energy and abilities to try and track the actions of his mother and Poe so that he could time his escape to perfection, as well as healing himself.  The times he hadn’t been meditating had been split between sleeping, and drawing FN-2187 into longer conversations each time the Stormtrooper brought him meals.

There had been no room to think about something as complicated as Hux.

He inched closer to the General, only stopping when his sleeping face came into view.  The trick Ben had used on Hux to render him unconscious had been a simple one. It gave the recipient four to five hours undisturbed slumber and it was a trick he’d used on Poe a few times when the pilot was too amped up the night before a bombing raid.  It enveloped the sleeper in a feeling of calm, and was the best antidote for bad dreams that Ben knew. 

Ben knew that he’d done it correctly as he could feel the calm radiating from Hux’s sleeping form, but Hux’s face was as stern as ever.  His lips were pulled together tightly, his posture was still rigid, and he looked ready to jump to parade rest at any second, despite the handcuffs that lay heavily around his wrists.  Ben had caught fragments of Hux’s strict upbringing and his dedication to his military life as they’d spoken, and he wondered if the man even knew how to relax. 

Relaxed or not, he still was heartbreakingly attractive, Ben thought.

It was almost perverse that the mind that could construct something as monstrous as Starkiller Base could be contained within such perfect skin, soft eyelashes and silky hair.  Starkiller Base should have been designed by someone as outwardly warped and ugly as the purpose it had been created for, not by someone that looked like General Hux.

During the process of being carried on and off the Falcon by Ben, and then stretchered away to the cells by the Resistance, Hux’s hair had come loose from its usual severe style.  It was longer than Ben had expected it to be and fell around Hux’s face in orange strands that curled slightly at the edges. It looked a lot redder under the bright lights and white walls of the Resistance cells compared to the dull lights and black surfaces of the Finalizer.  Ben’s fingers itched to tuck the loose strands behind Hux’s ears in a facsimile of the style Hux usually chose, but he knew that if he allowed himself to, he wouldn’t stop at Hux’s hair.

He wanted to trace Hux’s sharp cheekbones, stroke his softer jawline and feel his stern lips until he knew Hux’s face as well as his own.

“You’re staring.”

Hux’s voice had been quiet and thick with sleep, but it had sounded as loud to Ben’s ears as a squadron of TIE Fighters screaming past.  He hadn’t meant to space out like that, and felt embarrassed that Hux had caught him out.

“Just taking in the sight of the great General Hux, all bound and imprisoned,” Ben said with a confidence he didn’t feel.

Hux rolled onto his back, his bound hands resting on his stomach as he quickly scanned his surroundings.  “I presume that you brought me to a Resistance base of some sort.”

“Of some sort, yes.”

“What did you do to me?” Hux asked. “I feel like I’ve been asleep for weeks.”

“It’s only been a few hours,” Ben replied.  “I used the Force to knock you out and took you with me.”

Hux’s eyes widened and he took a deep breath, as if the last few moments on the Finalizer were rapidly coming back to him.  He soon wiped the emotions from his face and returned to the same, cold General that Ben was sick of seeing. “Who would have thought that you, of all people, would turn out to be a Jedi?”

Ben felt that familiar prick of anger spread under his skin at being called a Jedi, but did his best to ignore it.  Ben had never wanted to be a Jedi. He’d never wanted to be Force sensitive at all, but the Force had had different ideas and he’d been trying to find his place within it ever since.  The path of the Jedi was the path of his uncle and not something that Ben could ever walk down.

It was not something that Hux needed to know, however, and Ben could feel those green eyes boring into him, trying to read his expressions and cataloguing his reactions for potential use further down the line.  Hux was not Force sensitive, of that Ben had no doubt, but that didn’t make the man any less dangerous.

“You should always be prepared for all outcomes, General.”

“Yes,” Hux agreed with a sneer, “I won’t make the mistake of underestimating you again, Ren.”

“I don’t think you’ll get chance to.”

Hux looked down at his bound hands and shuffled uncomfortably on the cot he was lying on.  Ben could feel the embarrassment radiating from Hux. Hux was the highest ranking officer in the First Order, and he’d been captured from his very own ship and whisked away in the middle of a dog fight that he had been prepared for.  And all by a prisoner, a droid, and one of his own men. 

In all honesty, Ben hadn’t expected his plan to have worked out as well as it had.  When he’d sensed the doubts in FN-2187 after the Stormtrooper had brought him a meal following his first interrogation, Ben hadn’t been able to believe his luck.  It hadn’t take much to poke at those doubts and allow the Stormtrooper to come to his own decision to leave the First Order.

But the biggest streak of luck, had been General Hux himself.  Hux’s obvious interest in him had been easy for Ben to exploit.  It had been enjoyable even, to begin with. Then Ben had discovered that he’d come to like his visits from the General on a more personal level, and the hatred he had held towards the First Order, all it stood for and everyone involved had started to soften around the edges a little.  Even the news that Hux had scheduled his execution did little to stoke Ben’s hatred, especially as Hux’s regret and sadness at ordering it was so plain to see.

Now the tables were turned.  Hux was the prisoner of the Resistance, and Ben could feel the same tangled mess of hatred and something else buried within the redhead as was buried beneath himself.

He could only hope that his mother wouldn’t be able to recognize it for what he was beginning to fear it was.

“I suspect that this cell is pretty secure,” Hux said, drawing Ben back from his thoughts.  “Are the handcuffs necessary?”

The handcuffs had never been necessary.  They were, however, humiliating and humbling, and that was no doubt why they’d been used in the first place.  “Not really,” Ben answered.

“Do you have the key?  Could you unlock them?”

Ben didn’t have the key, but then again, he didn’t need it either.  He waved his hand, more for effect than necessity, and the handcuffs opened with a soft click.  They fell onto Hux’s stomach, and that’s where they remained as Hux continued to stare at them in what appeared to be quiet awe.

“We never had a chance of keeping you prisoner, did we?” Hux said softly. 

Ben shrugged his shoulders.  “The Force gives me advantages others don’t have, especially when people aren't expecting it, but it doesn’t make me invincible.”

Hux looked at him then, his eyes a stormy green that fixed Ben in place with an intensity he couldn’t resist.  “Power is everything, Ren. Don’t underestimate the power you have or how much you can do with it.”

Ben didn’t even attempt to hide the surprise that he felt at Hux’s words.  His strength in the Force had been both his blessing and his curse, with the scale largely edging towards curse.  It had been something that marked him as different, when all he’d wanted was to fit in. It had caused arguments between his Force sensitive mother and his barely tolerant father, when all he’d wanted was a loving family life.  During his teenage years it had consumed him with hatred and anger, when all he’d wanted was peace and calm. He had, during one of his lowest moments, begged his Uncle Luke to take the Force away from him, and had destroyed his uncle’s house when he’d heard that it wasn’t possible.

It had taken years to get the Force and the darkness within it under control, and even now there were times when Ben felt he was barely hanging on.  Too many of his Resistance peers still feared him and his Force abilities, so he did all that he could to downplay what he could do. He even held back from his mother, although he suspected that Luke had always known the true depths of what he was capable of.

Yet here was General Hux, someone who stood on the other side of the war to him, saying that power was to be embraced, not ignored.  Those on his side, his own family even, feared it. General Hux didn’t.

Since that time they’d first met, when Ben had been been dragged before Hux while half sedated before being thrown into the cells, Hux had only been intrigued by him.  The General had sought Ben’s company when he’d had no reason to dirty his hands with a prisoner, and even now, all he was radiating was a desire to speak with Ben some more.

Before Ben could get his thoughts in order enough to reply, the door to Hux’s cell opened.

Ben cleared his mind and stood to attention as his mother walked in, flanked again by Vice-Admiral Holdo and a couple of Resistance soldiers that quickly fixed their guns on Hux.  Leia immediately looked at Ben with questions in her eyes, but made no comment. To Hux’s credit, he looked unconcerned by the appearance of the Resistance’s most senior officers and by having guns pointed at his face, but he did sit up, pulling his uniform straight as he did so.

“General Organa, it’s so nice to meet you at last.  I would stand to attention, but I seem to have misplaced my boots.”  The insincerity and disingenuousness in Hux’s voice was evident, even to the soldiers that had never heard him speak before.

“Don’t trouble yourself, General Hux,” Leia said in an equally insincere voice, “please, make yourself at home.  You may be here for sometime.”

“I look forward to your hospitality,” Hux said with a sneering smile. 

The conversation was beginning to give Ben a headache.  He had learned during his time imprisoned on the Finalizer that Hux was a master manipulator and quick on his feet, and he knew from experience that his mother was cut from a similar cloth, and the thought of the pair of them trying to dance circles around each other was enough to make him want to jump out of the nearest airlock.  Their personalities may have been similar, but Ben knew that they differed in several important ways.

Leia had seen the Death Star attack on Alderaan, and spent the rest of her life trying to ensure it never happened again.  Whereas Hux had taken the data from that same attack, and created something worse.

“Let’s dispense with the formalities, General,” Leia smiled, “and get down to business.  We need some information from you, and will do everything within our power to obtain that.”

Hux looked at Ben with a smirk on his face.  Hux had guessed that Ben was missing some information back on the Finalizer, and Ben knew as well as Hux did that having this information meant that Hux had some power.  It wouldn’t be easy to get the Starkiller Base location from Hux, and Hux was relishing them trying.

“I’m sure you will.”

“For now, we’ll leave you to settle in.  Ben?”

Ben barely noticed that his mother had called to him, but he quickly nodded in acknowledgment and turned to leave.  Before he left, he chanced one last look over his shoulder at Hux, and saw the General holding out the unfastened handcuffs to him.  Ben called them to him using the Force, ripping them out of Hux’s hands and into his own. He usually went out of his way to hide his Force abilities, but not with Hux.

As he left the room, he could hear one lone thought reverberating around in Hux’s mind.

“Power is everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the comments, kudos and bookmarks so far! It really does mean a lot to me <3
> 
> FYI - I'm halfway through writing part 13 right now, and I think it might all be wrapped up by part 15-16, so there's still some way to go! I'm pretty certain that I can keep the weekly updates consistent until the end though *fingers crossed*


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A conversation with Poe shows Ben that yet again, Poe has everything that Ben wants.

The Raddus had reached the Resistance’s base on D’Qar shortly after Ben had left Hux’s cell, and Ben had spent the following four days trying to avoid the argument he knew was still brewing between himself and his mother over his recklessness.  It had been easier than expected to avoid her as Leia had thrown herself into the task of tracking down Starkiller Base.

Ben had more firsthand knowledge of outposts, trading routes, cartels and cantinas in the Unknown Regions than anybody else in the Resistance did as he was one of the few that had ever been there, so he was often called on for information and advice that was either taken under advisement, or ignored completely.  It had not escaped his notice that nobody had asked for advice in the search about Starkiller Base, and he hadn’t been asked to join the search either, even though he was arguably the most well suited for the job behind his father.

He’d received a short holocall from his father the night he’d returned to the Resistance after escaping the Finalizer.  It had been the usual stilted conversation where he could tell that Han had a million things to say but didn’t trust himself to verbalize them properly, and so instead rambled about his latest near escape while Chewbacca growled at him to say something of more substance to his son.  Ben knew that his father loved him, but communication had never been one of Han Solo’s strong points.

Han was working on something for the Resistance that was top secret enough to mean he’d had to leave the Falcon behind, conveniently enough for Ben when he’d hatched his plan to be captured, and had taken a smaller unmarked ship.  It was also top secret enough that he couldn’t tell Ben what he was doing, and it was just one more example of how nobody involved with the Resistance trusted him enough. To Han’s credit, he seemed to genuinely resent the secrecy, and his stuttered comment about wishing Ben was with him on the mission appeared sincere, but it did little to lighten Ben’s mood.

Ben had no doubt that Han had heard all about his escapades upon the Finalizer from Leia, but his father made no mention of them.

After the holocall had ended, Ben had started on the long list of repairs the Falcon needed that seemed to grow day by day.  Being holed up on the Falcon in an otherwise empty and disused hangar bay had been another convenient way of avoiding Leia’s motherly concern, but it had done little to avoid Ben’s mind from periodically drifting back to General Hux.

Ben hadn’t seen Hux since that time on the Raddus when he’d sought him out after the meeting four days ago.  He’d purposely kept his distance from the prison cells on the base, and had closed his ears to the gossip he’d heard about Hux on the few occasions when he’d left the Falcon in search for food.  He’d heard whispers that Hux had been interrogated and was being uncooperative, but Ben had already known that would be the case even before the interrogations had started. Hux wasn’t going to give up his Starkiller Base for anything, and the Resistance interrogation techniques were woefully inadequate compared to the First Order methods that still lingered on Ben’s skin.

He knew that there was only one way the Resistance would be able to get the location from Hux, and he desperately hoped that it wouldn’t come to that.  Maybe one of the Resistance spies that were lurking in the Unknown Regions and tracking the trade of materials would get lucky and track a consignment to Starkiller Base.  Or maybe, one of the pilots that were scanning the skies in their unmarked ships would stumble across a planet that didn’t look quite right, and would discover it was the system destroyer they were searching for.

Ben wondered if Leia would actually have the conviction to order the alternative.  After decades of trying to drag Ben away from the darkness that had always followed him, would she order him to break into Hux’s mind and take the location that the General was guarding so closely?  Tearing apart a mind like that meant tapping into the dark side of the Force. It was something that neither Luke nor Rey had the ability to do, as they didn’t have the darkness within them that Ben had, so it would undoubtedly fall to him.

Just the thought of forcing himself past the barriers of an unwilling mind again made Ben’s skin crawl.  He’d worked so hard to keep his darker leanings locked away, but they were still there, still scratching at his skin and screaming to be let out.  Those screams had been getting louder since he’d captured Hux and realized what he might have to do, and he desperately hoped that Leia wouldn’t ask it of him, or that he’d have the strength not to fall back to where he had been if he did as he was asked.

Then he remembered the pain and resolve his mother radiated whenever she thought of Alderaan, and he knew that she would do whatever it took to ensure no other planet met Alderaan’s fate, even if it meant risking Ben.

Leia had never truly understood how firm a grasp the dark side had once had on Ben, how close he’d came to falling and how much he’d fought against it.  Nobody did. Not even Luke, who knew Ben’s true strength better than anyone and had had his own call to the dark could truly understand. 

And the thought that he’d be asked to interrogate Hux…  Ben would have Hux’s entire mind stretched out at his fingertips.  He’d be able to dip into every memory and every thought the General had ever had.  Ben wondered if he’d find thoughts of himself in Hux’s mind somewhere, and the thought that he might already occupy a space inside the redhead’s mind made Ben’s heart beat that little bit faster.

It also made the darkness inside him scream that little bit louder.  The darkness hungered to know every thought Hux had ever had.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding.”

Ben pushed the echoes of darkness and fears of what might never happen from his mind, and stood to greet his visitor.  It was Poe of course, because who else would think to come looking for him than Poe Dameron? It was impossible for anyone to truly dislike Poe, and boy, had Ben tried to over the years, because the man was just so genuine and honest.  He was the hero of the Resistance, always ready for action and offering smiles to all around him regardless of rank. Poe had a rapport with everyone, from General to droid, and it was no surprise to Ben that Leia was grooming him to take over the entire operation.

The worst thing was, that despite Ben’s bitterness towards the Resistance for the way they treated him, he knew that Poe was the best man for the job.  The feelings of jealousy and resentment that he occasionally felt towards Poe for how easily he commanded the respect and admiration of all around were so tightly entwined with his own feelings of inadequacy and failure that they had become one and the same.

That was unfair to Poe, he knew, so he plastered on his best smile and greeted his closest friend with an easy handshake.  “The Falcon is a demanding ship.”

“Right…” Poe said, taking a seat on one of the benches that lined the wall.  “It’s not because you’re avoiding Leia?”

“That’s an added bonus.”

“You’re going to have to face her eventually.”

Ben grunted, but said nothing more about it.  If Leia really wanted to speak with him, she no doubt knew where he was.  Instead, he changed the subject. “Any progress on the search for Starkiller Base?”

“None,” Poe replied.  Ben didn’t need the Force to sense the angry rant that was coming.  “We have twenty unmarked ships searching the entire Unknown Regions.  Only twenty!! It’d be easier to find a single wupiupi coin in the middle of the Jakku desert.”

“What about tracking the materials?”

“Dead end.  It seems that the reason why the First Order took over all of those planets six months ago was so that they could source their own materials.  When it’s coming from First Order planets, mined by First Order personnel and transported on First Order ships through First Order space, we can’t trace it.”

Ben took a seat next to Poe and stretched out his long legs.  The situation seemed as bad as he feared it would be. “What would you suggest?”

“We’re running out of time.  I think we’re going to have to go all in on searching the Unknown Regions.”

“Get the X-Wings out there?”

“The X-Wings, the Y-Wings, the Raddus, everything.  Even this hump of junk,” Poe said, waving in the air at the Millennium Falcon before quickly apologizing.  “Sorry, I mean this fine piece of workmanship.”

Ben ignored the slight against the Falcon as ‘hump of junk’ was practically its nickname.  “That would turn into a fight. The First Order outnumber us, especially in the Unknown Regions.  They know those skies far better than we do. They could destroy our entire fleet before we even find Starkiller Base.”

“We might not have a choice.”  Poe paused, and then reconsidered.  “The only other chance we have is if your boy talks.”

Ben had a bad feeling about how this conversation was progressing.  “My boy?”

“The red General.  The pasty guy in the cells that you were making puppy eyes at when you carried him off the Falcon.”

“I was not…”  Ben began to defend himself, but realized it was futile when Poe’s anger gave way to a smirk.  “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”“Alright, I believe you.  I’m sure that you don’t need me to tell you that developing any feelings of the warm and fuzzy kind for a General of the First Order would be the worst idea you’ve ever had.”  The tone was teasing, but Ben could feel the genuine concern underneath it. “And you’ve had some terrible ideas, Ben.”

Ben picked at one of the scratches that still covered his hands from the interrogation he’d been subjected to on the Finalizer.  He’d meant to finish up the healing with either the Force or some bacta, but it had slipped his mind and at that moment, he was glad the injuries were still there.  They were a reminder that what Poe was saying was true, and he had to concentrate on the pain that Hux had ordered, instead of the feel of soft red hair underneath his fingers.

Although his thoughts had been constantly drawn towards Hux over the last four days, Ben had come no closer to being able to make sense of them or give them any kind of labels.  He had hoped that the time and distance would help, but it had done neither. 

Ben didn’t want to think about Hux anymore, not while Poe was still looking at him with smirking lips, yet eyes that radiated pity.   “I think you have me beat on the terrible ideas count.”

“Hey, all of my ideas are fantastic.”“Yeah?  How’s that Stormtrooper doing?”

“You mean Finn…?”

“Finn?” Ben asked.  “Is that his name?”

Poe looked uncharacteristically shy.  “Well, I couldn’t keep calling him FN-2187 all of the time, could I?”

“So you named him Finn.  You’ll be buying soft furnishings together next.”“I don’t have to stay here and listen to this, Solo,” Poe said, suppressing a smile as he stood to leave.  “I’m just showing him around and teaching him about life in the free world, that’s all.”

Ben stood too, and walked with Poe to the Falcon’s exit.  “I hope BB-8 isn’t getting jealous.”

Poe made a hand gesture that was considered obscene in three different star systems as he walked down the ramp.  “Don’t stay locked away here on your own, Ben. See Leia. Take an X-Wing for a spin around the planet. Go float some rocks or some other Force kriff and impress the new recruits.  Just do something other than brood around here on your own, huh?”

Ben looked down at his old friend and felt nothing but warmth and worry radiating from him.  Poe had always worn his heart on his sleeve and had never tried to hide his feelings from Ben unlike most others did when they came into contact with the Force user, and yet again Ben found himself thankful for Poe’s openness.  

“I will.  Maybe we can both take X-Wings out tomorrow and I’ll show Finn how his hotshot new boyfriend is only the second best pilot in the Resistance.”

Poe laughed.  “In your dreams, Solo.”

They said their goodbyes and Ben returned back to his work upon the Falcon.  Maybe Poe was right and he should stretch his legs a little, but first he had to figure out what part of the hyperdrive was making that ticking noise.  It was easier to ignore his thoughts when he had a wrench in his hand and the Falcon was spewing smoke around his ears.

**  

It was night before Ben had finished his repairs and darkness had already descended on D’Qar.  The base was quiet at this time of night and ran on only a skeleton crew, and for this reason alone it was Ben’s favorite time to wander the halls of the winding base.  The dark of night held no fears for Ben, as the dark side of the Force and the promises it had made to him were far scarier than any lack of sun could ever be.

He wandered past the hangars that were full of X-Wings, their engines silent as they waited for the call to action.  The quarters of the X-Wing pilots weren’t far away, and Ben used the Force to quieten his footsteps as he walked past Poe’s, his heightened senses telling him that not only was Poe inside, but so was Finn.  

Although Ben bore Finn no ill will, after all the ex-Stormtrooper had been an integral part of his escape, he was surprised that Finn had been vetted and allowed the freedom of the base in only four days.  No doubt Poe had been influential there, but it still seemed remarkably quick for someone that had been with the First Order for practically their entire life.

It stung a little that once again, Poe was getting what he wanted while Ben was wandering the halls alone and unable to sleep.  

Without thinking Ben hurried past the pilot’s quarters and headed west, his feet and heart taking him in a direction that his brain knew was a mistake.  His route took him past the main hub of operations on D’Qar, and the few officers that were monitoring communications and the fruitless search of the Unknown Regions there paid him no attention.  Ben paid them even less - he didn’t need to see the blank map of the Unknown Regions and the lack of progress that was being made in the search for Starkiller Base. He already knew that it was a search that was destined to fail.

It didn’t take long to reach the cell block.  It was bigger than the one on the Raddus, but no more populated as yet again there was only one prisoner.  The senior guard, a veteran of the wars against the Empire that had joined the Resistance but had no interest in fighting on the front lines again, raised an eyebrow at Ben’s appearance but merely nodded in agreement when Ben requested to see Hux.  Having such easy access to such a high profile prisoner now that they were back at D’Qar should have struck Ben as strange, but he had only one thought in his mind at that time.

He had to see Hux.

Ben was surprised to see that despite the late hour, Hux wasn’t asleep.  Instead he was sat at the plain table that was fixed to the west wall of his cell, his back hunched as he concentrated on a datapad that lay in front of him.  The reduced lighting in the cell meant that the blue glow of the holopad was reflected across Hux’s face, and it bathed him in an ethereal light that made him look breathtakingly inhuman.

Finally, Hux tore his gaze away from the holopad and looked to see who his visitor was.  He seemed as surprised to see Ben as Ben had been to see Hux awake, yet there was a small but definite thread of excitement contained within that surprise.  Hux quickly stamped out that flicker of excitement, but it didn’t matter. It had been there, and that’s all that mattered to Ben.

There was so many things Ben wanted to say after not seeing Hux for four days, but all that he could manage to verbalize was the most inane thought he had.  “They let you have a holopad?” 

Hux turned the holopad off, and Ben was almost sad to lose that blue glow.  “It’s offline and only has approved reading materials, of course.”

“What kind of thing is approved?”

“Histories of the Republic, propaganda of that sort,” Hux said with a sneer.  

Without asking Ben took the seat opposite Hux.  Now that he was closer and the blue glow of the holopad wasn’t distorting Hux’s features anymore, Ben took the opportunity to take a proper look at the face that had been haunting his dreams for the last four days.  Hux looked like he hadn’t had much sleep since Ben had last seen him, and there was the definite beginnings of a beard spreading across his jawline. 

The biggest change, however, was the absence of his First Order uniform.  Instead, Hux was wearing the muted brown of the Resistance, and the slightly large sweater he wore had a patch with the Resistance emblem sewn onto its sleeve.  Some of the thread that held the patch there was missing, as if someone had tried to pick it off with their fingernails and Ben had no doubt that Hux had tried to do exactly that.

It was even harder to believe that this tired and scruffy looking man in his slightly too large Resistance clothing was the great and terrifying General Hux.  

“Maybe they’d give you something better if you answered their questions about Starkiller Base,” Ben replied.

“I spent years of my life on Starkiller Base,” Hux said, agitation creeping into his voice, “did you honestly think that I would undo all of that because the Resistance asked me nicely?”

“Is that all that they’re doing?  Asking nicely?”

Hux scoffed.  “They’re amateurs.  They wouldn’t know how to run a proper interrogation even with step by step instructions.”

“You almost sound disappointed.”

“You almost sound concerned, Ren.  Shouldn’t you want me in enough pain that I have no choice but to talk?”

Ben hadn’t meant to sound concerned, but he couldn’t help himself.  He’d suffered some of the worst interrogation techniques the First Order had at their disposal because Hux had ordered it, but he couldn’t bring himself to want the same for Hux.  Ben didn’t want to see Hux’s skin beaten and bruised, or his face contorted in pain. Ben wanted the location of Starkiller Base, but not at the expense of Hux. 

He knew that he wasn’t supposed to think that way.  Hux had given the orders that had murdered thousands and had enslaved countless more.  He was the enemy. He was expendable.

But he was more than that to Ben.

“I want you to talk,” Ben said, “but I don’t want you in pain.”

Ben was hit by a sudden surge of emotions from Hux that he couldn’t even begin to figure out.  There were so many tangled together, from surprise, to disbelief, to hatred, to a desperate need to believe that Ben was being honest with him.  It was that last emotion, that disbelief that Ben was being genuine in his words that seemed the loudest, and it left Ben wondering if Hux had ever been shown any genuine affection before.

But just like before, Hux was able to quickly contain his emotions again and lock them away from Ben.  

“Well you should.”  Hux’s voice was steady, but soft.  

“I’ve never been good at doing what I’m supposed to.”

“No, I don’t suppose you have,” Hux agreed before asking, “does anyone know you’re here right now?” 

“Just that guard.”

“So your mother didn’t send you here to try and make me talk?”

Ben shook his head.  “No. That’s not why I came here.”

Hux was agitated.  His fingers started to softly tap out an uneven rhythm on the tabletop, and Ben was drawn to how thin and elegant they were.  When those fingers had held the wet cloth that had eased his headache after his interrogation, Ben hadn’t had chance to look at them properly.  Any other time he’d seen Hux, his hands had been covered by his ever present black leather gloves.

Hux seemed to be having second thoughts about what he wanted to say next, but after a couple of seconds he finally said it.  “Then why are you here, Ren?”

That was the question.  It had been the thought of Poe finding happiness and comfort in the arms of Finn that had made Ben finally cave and seek Hux out again, although he knew that no matter how much he wanted it, there was never going to be a similar ending.  Finn had been taken at birth, reprogrammed through his childhood, and had then rebelled of his own free will as an adult. Even the most stone-hearted Resistance member had to admit that Finn deserved a chance at freedom.

From the snatched thoughts he’d picked up from Hux’s mind, Ben had a suspicion that Hux had been equally indoctrinated as a child, but that was where the similarities ended.  Hux was First Order through to his bones, and there would be no Resistance members willing to give him a second chance. 

Even Ben had to admit that Hux didn’t deserve one, yet he was in Hux’s cell, all the same.

“I wanted to see you,” Ben answered honestly.

Hux was staring at his lips again.  His thoughts were full of confusion over whether he’d imagined the soft feel of Ben’s fingers across his face on the Finalizer, or whether he’d dreamt that after Ben had knocked him out.  There was a longing there too, one that Hux was drastically trying to fight against, but Ben could feel that with every second that passed his resolve was slowly crumbling.

The fingers of Hux’s right hand were still tap-tap-tapping away on the desk and Ben reached out to grab them, his larger fingers wrapping around Hux’s and stopping their movements.  Hux stared at their joined hands with wonder and opened mouthed shock, but he made no attempt to break the contact. In fact, Hux cautiously slid his hand further into Ben’s grasp until their contact was no longer just a tentative touch of fingers, and was instead a firmer hand hold.

Ben tried to get a read of what Hux was thinking, but he couldn’t get hold of anything.  His own thoughts and emotions were racing around at hyperspeed and it left him unable to concentrate on anything but the feel of Hux’s clammy hand in his own.

Ben lost track of how long they sat there in silence, both staring at Hux’s pale, slim hand in Ben’s bigger, more tanned one. It could have been seconds, or it could have been hours.  

Eventually, and inevitably, it was Hux that pulled away.  He sank back into his chair and switched his holopad back on with his left hand.   He wrapped his right arm around his stomach, leaving his dominant hand, the one Ben had held, to grip onto his too-large Resistance sweater.  “Can you ask someone to give me something more interesting to read?”

Hux hadn’t looked at him, but Ben couldn’t tear his eyes away from Hux.  “I’ll see what I can do.”

Still, Hux didn’t look up.  “I should get some sleep. I think I have another long interrogation tomorrow.”

Ben didn’t want to leave, but he understood a dismissal when he heard one.  He stood up and walked to the cell door, before tapping on it gently to alert the guard.  As he was waiting, Hux spoke one last time. “Will you come and see me tomorrow?”

Ben was already through the open door before he replied.  “Yes. Sleep well.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben gives two things to Hux - a present, and a lie

Ben had been in the dining hall when he had felt it.  

It had been lunchtime, and Ben had been sat opposite Poe and Finn while Poe’s ever present droid had rolled around their table and repeatedly crashed into Ben’s legs.  He was pretty sure that the BB unit disliked him and was doing it on purpose at this point, but that was fine as he didn’t particularly like the droid either.

Poe had been even louder and happier than usual, but Ben had recognized it for what it was.  The presence of an ex-Stormtrooper among the ranks had unsettled a base that was not used to dealing with deserters, but nobody would dare question Finn’s position while the hero of the Resistance was vouching for him.  Ben knew that in a few days Finn would be old news and only the strictest Resistance members would care anymore, so he was doing his best to ignore the whisperings.

Finn had just started on his dessert, a gray sugary paste that Ben couldn’t even begin to identify, when something had begun to register at the edges of the Force.  Ben hadn’t recognized it immediately, and he had laughed along with Poe when Finn claimed that the gloopy mixture was the best thing he’d ever tasted. Finn had explained that desserts had not been a common part of the Stormtrooper diet while he’d tried to get a second helping by wrestling Poe’s dessert out of the pilot’s hands.  

As the pair had fought like a couple of school kids over Poe’s dessert, the Force had started to ripple with an energy that grew stronger with every second.  It didn’t take long for Ben to recognize it for what it was.

“Luke.”

Ben hadn’t been aware that he’d spoken out loud until Poe had turned to him with confused eyes.  “Your uncle?”

“He’s just about to land at the base,” Ben had explained.  “I have to go.”

Poe had nodded and then immediately turned to Finn, no doubt to explain the Skywalker family and all of the complications that came with them.  Ben hadn’t wasted any time listening, and had instead headed straight for the landing bay that was readying itself to receive Luke and his ship.

That’s where Ben was now, watching silently as Luke’s old shuttle touched down on the ground of D’Qar.  It was the same shuttle that Luke had always had, and one that Ben knew well. He’d taken enough joyrides in it during his time at Luke’s temple, after all.  If Luke hadn’t have had the foresight to disable the hyperdrive on the shuttle, Ben would have left the temple years before he actually did.

Ben was so fixated on the shuttle that he didn’t notice his mother had come to join him until he felt her small hand come to rest on his forearm.  She looked tired as no doubt the fruitless hunt for Starkiller Base was wearing on her. Despite that tiredness she was still radiant, and her eyes were sparkling with happiness as she looked at her son, and then at the landing shuttle that contained her twin brother.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’ve been avoiding me,” Leia said to Ben.

“You’ve been busy.  I didn’t want to interrupt.”  He was lying of course, and he had no doubt that Leia recognized that.

She chose to call him out on something other than his obvious lie though.  “I hear that you visited the cells yesterday.”

Ben watched as the ramp to the shuttle opened, sticking slightly in the middle like it always had.  “Is that a problem?” 

Before Leia could answer, a man began to walk down the ramp.  He was a little grayer around the edges than the last time Ben had seen him seven years ago, but there was no denying the serene power he radiated, or the permanent sparkle in his blue eyes.

Ben took a step back as Luke Skywalker was reunited with his twin sister in an emotional embrace, and instead stared at the young woman that had followed Luke out of the shuttle.  She had been an unsure twelve year old when Ben had seen her last, but the nineteen year old Rey that stood before him almost seemed like a different person. She was comfortable in the Force in a way that Ben had never been, and when her brown eyes finished scanning the scene before her and landed on Ben, her lips curved into a smile that Ben wasn’t sure he deserved.

He barely had time to process the comfort and relief he had found in that smile before Rey had run down the ramp and launched herself at him in a bone crushing hug.  He’d forgotten how tough and enthusiastic she could be, and he found himself wondering what else he’d forgotten about her over the past seven years.

“Did you get taller?” Rey asked when she finally stepped back from Ben.  She didn’t let go though, not completely. Instead her hands came to rest on his upper arms, as if she knew Ben wanted the distance, but she didn’t want to break the contact in case he disappeared on her again.

“Did you get shorter?” Ben replied, failing to dodge the friendly punch Rey laid into his stomach, not that he’d tried that hard to avoid it.

The greeting between uncle and nephew was a more somber affair than the other greetings, as only a handshake passed between the two.  Luke had seen the worst of Ben’s struggles, and the worst of Ben himself during his time at the temple, and Ben bit down the urge to fight back when he felt Luke reach out to him gently through the Force.  Resist and fight was all that he’d done during his years with Luke, but he wanted to show his uncle that he had a better hold of himself now than he’d had before, so he reached out to Luke too.

It had been the right action, as Luke’s face broke out into a cautious smile.  “It’s good to see you again, Ben. I hear that you’ve been causing your mother some trouble recently.”

“Luke told me that you escaped a First Order ship and kidnapped a general!?” Rey asked excitedly.  “You have to tell me all about it.”

The last thing Ben wanted to do was talk about Hux around Rey and Luke.  He’d barely slept because his mind had fixated on the feel of Hux’s hand in his and had then evolved that simple hand holding into scenario after scenario that involved more touching, and less clothes.  Luke had always been a master at reading Ben’s intentions, and Rey his emotions, and Ben didn’t know if he’d be able to keep his feelings and desires for Hux locked away in a place that neither of them could reach quickly enough.

“Ben, why don’t you show Rey around and tell her about your little adventure,” Leia said, putting added angry emphasis on the word ‘adventure.’  “Luke and I have things we need to discuss.”

Ben wanted to know what those discussion topics were, but he knew better than to question Leia when she was using her general voice with him.  He nodded in agreement and watched as the two twins walked away in a flurry of robes. It was hard to get a reading on either of them through the Force when they didn’t want to be read, but he could sense enough to know that Luke was already aware of why Leia had called him, and that there was a task she’d asked him to complete.

It had to be linked to the search for Starkiller Base.  What else could it be?

**

Ben spent the next few hours showing Rey around the base and answering any questions about it she had, while trying his best to avoid talking about his escape from the Finalizer.  Rey didn’t push that topic and instead concentrated on the hundreds of questions she had about the Resistance and the people that were a part of it.

She had been an honest and open child, and Ben was glad to see that she hadn’t lost that as she’d aged.  He could tell that she’d toughened up and was more astute than the naive twelve year old he’d left behind, but it hadn’t come at the loss of her pure heart.  He was glad of that.

She was also genuinely enjoying his company, and that was the most shocking aspect of all.  Although he was ten years older than her, Rey had always favored Ben over the other students at Luke’s temple.  The others had often teased Rey for being an orphan from a backwater planet like Jakku, but Ben never had. Ben had royal blood in his veins, Skywalker blood even, yet he’d never mocked Rey for her beginnings.  That had been enough to endear him to her, and in return she’d never ran away from his mood swings or violent rages.

Rey had seen those too, of course.   They’d been at their worst at Luke’s temple.  There had been days when his mind had been nothing but a pit of darkness, full of seductive voices telling him to end the temple, end the Jedi, and to end Luke on his path to becoming the power he was destined to be.  He’d come close to giving in a couple of times, had destroyed things in the hope of pleasing the voices and had fought the other students with more force than was ever needed in training. Over time everyone had become scared of him, but never Rey.

When Ben had finally decided to leave the temple and had stowed away on the Millennium Falcon during Han’s single annual trip to see him, it had been leaving Rey with no goodbye that had been his only regret.

He had thought that Rey would hold his disappearance against him, but he felt nothing from her but genuine joy at seeing him again.  He wanted to ask her how her life had been at the temple without him to defend her from the bullying, but he got the impression that she hadn’t needed him.  That in fact, without Ben, she’d flourished and become stronger.

He showed her the Falcon, of course.  He had even rounded up Poe, Finn and BB-8 and taken them all on a little aerial excursion around the base on it, allowing Rey to take the controls and show off her flying skills a little as Poe and Finn whooped and hollered from the back seats in the cockpit and BB-8 tried to roll over his feet again.

They’d all been so busy trying to fly as low as possible in order to scare the ground crew that none of them had noticed when Ben had slipped away for a few seconds so that he could search the little bunk that he’d often occupied as a young child.  Before he’d been sent to Luke’s temple and before the Force had become truly hard to handle, he’d spent many nights on the Falcon with Han, and he hoped that his father hadn’t cleaned things out too well.

The bunk was small, so small that Ben couldn’t believe he’d ever been able to fit in it, but appeared untouched since the last time he’d slept there all those years ago.  He quickly searched it, his big hands struggling to fit in the small spaces between the mattress and the walls, but he found what he was looking for, stashed under the end where his little feet had usually curled up against the cold of space.

He quickly pocketed it, and headed back to join the others, eager to see what Rey was up to now.

**

Dinnertime was a raucous affair as Rey, Poe and Finn swapped stories over more food that Finn had never tried before, and Ben allowed their happiness and excitement to wash over him.  Poe and Finn had the excitement and anticipation of their budding relationship to look forward to, and Finn was eager to learn all about a world that the First Order education system had never told him about.  Rey was eager too, as Luke had promised her that she’d soon be free to leave the temple and take over some of the scouting missions that fell to the older students. It was a huge statement of Rey’s progress, and Luke’s trust in her.

Ben offered his genuine congratulations to Rey, and tried to forget that Luke had never trusted him with such missions, despite being older and better trained than Rey.  Not that he’d done anything to earn that trust, of course, but this twenty-nine year old Ben was a lot more self aware than the angry twenty-two year old Ben had ever been.

It stung though, to know that Poe, Finn and Rey all had futures to look forward to.  They were three very different people from very different backgrounds, yet they all could share in the same excitement of having good things on the horizon.  Ben had never been able to see his own future that clearly through the Force as it had always been masked and distorted by the darkness he carried, but even without that block he couldn’t see a future for himself.  What did he have? More years of not being trusted and not fitting in?

He suddenly became aware of the heavy weight in his pocket.  It was the object he’d found on the Falcon, and as his fingers toyed with the corner of it, his mind drifted to Hux.  

Ben didn’t understand why he felt so drawn to the General.  Was it the will of the Force, or something entirely more common and ordinary?  He was pretty certain by this point that Hux felt the same draw to him, and that was the most unfair aspect of it all.  The knowledge that there could be something there between them if they’d met under different circumstances made the futility of it all harder to bear.

Then Poe laughed, followed shortly by Finn, and Ben couldn’t stand to hear it anymore.  He jumped to his feet in a sudden motion that caused his chair to squeak against the hard flooring and startled Rey.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.

Of course, he’d worried her again.  It was like he was looking down at Rey as she’d been all of those years ago, when all she seemed to do was look up at him with concerned eyes as he shouted at the demons only he could hear.  He wasn’t that man anymore, and he hated that he’d reminded her of how he used to be.

“I’m fine,” he smiled.  “I just remembered that I have something I have to do this evening.”

Rey’s feeling of relief was so palpable, that even BB-8 who was angrily beeping at him because he’d hit the droid with his chair probably felt it.  “Do you need any help?”

Ben shook his head and broadened his smile so much that his cheeks began to hurt.  “Stay here with Poe and Finn. Maybe Poe can show you what nightlife the base has to offer.”

Rey, who’d never danced or socialized in her life other than with the other students at the temple, was predictably enraptured by Poe’s explanation of the entertainment the Resistance had to offer.  Ben was glad to hear that the search for Starkiller Base hadn’t stopped the Resistance members from enjoying themselves, and he was also glad that it meant his absence wouldn’t be noted.

He said his goodbyes, wished them a good night, and headed towards the cells.

**

Hux was sat at the table with his eyes glued to his datapad again when Ben walked in, but as soon as Hux saw him Ben was hit with a wave of relief from the General.  He could sense that Hux had been waiting for him. Throughout the whole day, Hux’s thoughts had returned to Ben, again and again, and Hux had been constantly on edge as he’d both waited for Ben to arrive, and prepared himself for disappointment when he didn’t.

Now that Ben had arrived, all of that disappointment had been replaced by something akin to happiness.

He’d make Hux happy.  That shouldn’t have affected Ben as deeply as it did.

“You came then,” Hux stated.  His voice was flat and devoid of any emotion other than restrained boredom, but Ben could feel how Hux burned inside.

“You asked me to.”

Hux pointedly looked away.  He didn’t want to be reminded of the weakness he’d shown when he asked Ben to come back, and Ben regretted pointing it out.  Ben had thought that his own confusion about his feelings for Hux was hard to bear, but it was nothing compared to the confusion he could feel racing around in Hux.  He’d felt something similar on the Finalizer, but it hadn’t been this all-encompassing.

Ben decided to return to hopefully safer topics of conversation.  “I brought you a present.”

Hux looked at him.  He blinked. Then he blinked again.  “A present?”

Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out the item he’d taken from the Millennium Falcon earlier that day.  It was a simple book - smaller in size than a holopad, but three times as thick. The cover was plain and covered in scuff marks and the pages yellow and curling at the edges, but that was to be expected.  Actual books made from paper and full of printed text were increasingly hard to find, and hadn’t been widely in circulation since before the Empire. Generations before the Empire, even.

“Where did you find that?” Hux asked, his hand cautiously reaching out to take it before he reconsidered and he pulled his hand back. Hux wanted it, Ben knew, but his self-discipline refused to let him take something that hadn't been explicitly given to him yet.

Ben sat down and placed it on the table between them.  “It was mine, when I was a kid. My father found it in an outpost somewhere and traded a few old mechanical parts for it.  He thought it might keep me occupied when I was bored on his ship.”

Hux kept staring at the book.  “Did it?”

“I read it more times than I can remember.”

Finally, Hux looked at Ben.  Hux looked even more tired than yesterday as the black rings beneath his eyes looked more pronounced and his eyes themselves had a red hue to them that hadn’t been there before.  His beard was still growing though, the red a stark contrast to the otherwise paleness of his skin and his hair was lank, greasy and missing its usual shine.

Despite all of that, Hux still carried himself with the same poise he’d had when he’d been polished and wrapped in a smart First Order uniform and it did nothing to dull his attractiveness.  If anything, he was more attractive to Ben. Now, he looked touchable. On the Finalizer, he’d seemed too perfect to be real.

Ben also noted, with amusement, that Hux had succeeded in tearing off the Resistance patch that had once been on the arm of his sweater.

“Is it more propaganda for me to choke down?”

Ben shook his head. “It’s a storybook. It’s not even set in this galaxy.”

Hux looked at the book again. He seemed puzzled, his bottom lip jutting out slightly as he glared at the plain, damaged cover with a furrowed brow. Ben wanted to smooth his brow and bite down on that lip.

“I've never read a storybook before.”

That was not a surprise to Ben.  Ben’s childhood had been full of tales of heroes and villains and the epic struggles between them.  Some of those stories had been true, some of them pure fiction, and the ones told by his father somewhere in the middle, but they'd all been exciting to Ben’s young mind and childhood imagination.

That had been before the darkness had taken root, of course.  He hadn't enjoyed much after that.

Hux had never had that childhood of excitement and wonder, his childhood had been discipline and military precision, orders and tactics.  Images of a lonely, redheaded boy, hunched over a datapad that was too big for his little hands to hold up for too long as never ending rain bounced off the single window in his barren room flooded Ben’s mind.

Ben smiled sadly. “There's a first time for everything.”

He pushed the book over to Hux.  Again Hux’s fingers reached out for it but pulled back at the last minute, as if the book was a fire he'd gotten too close to.  “What's the story?”

“It’s about a young soldier who finds a prince from a rival planet lost in the woods.  They go on a journey to take the prince back, and to stop their planets from blowing each other up.”

Hux didn’t appear impressed.  “Is that what passes for entertainment in the New Republic?”

“There’s more to the story than that,” Ben said, rolling his eyes, “but I don’t want to spoil it for you.”  Ben nudged the book closer to Hux again, signalling his permission for Hux to take it.

Hux did so, picking up the book and gently flicking through the pages.  “As it might be slightly more interesting than staring at the wall, I’ll try it.”

Hux stood up, holding the book to his chest as if it was a precious item that might get taken away from him and walked over to his bunk.  Ben was content that despite Hux’s sneering, the present had been well received by a man that Ben suspected had never really been given anything before.  Hux hid the book under his mattress in pretty much the same place as the young Ben had done on the Falcon and then sat back down again at the table, unaware of how Ben’s heart was racing at their shared hiding place.

Ben tried to get his heart back under control.  “Is that all that you’ve done today? Stare at the walls?  Or were you interrogated like you thought you’d be?”

Hux looked at Ben with a smile that Ben didn’t entirely trust.  “You don’t know?”

Ben had spent the whole day with Rey, so he hadn’t spoken to anyone that was involved with either Hux’s interrogation or the hunt for Starkiller Base.  And even if he had, it was doubtful anyone would have told him anything that was considered classified information. What was Hux talking about?

“I’ve been busy all day,” Ben answered.  He thought for a moment, and then spoke again in a disbelieving, but hopeful voice.  “You didn’t tell them where Starkiller Base was, did you?”

Hux scoffed.  “Of course not.  No, the Resistance brought in a specialist.”

A specialist?  Ben didn’t know of anyone connected to the Resistance that would be considered a specialist interrogator.  Besides, other than the increasing signs of tiredness that were evident on Hux’s face, he looked the same as yesterday.  There were no scars or bruises, and Hux had walked as smoothly as ever when he had stashed the storybook under his bunk. Whoever this specialist was, they hadn’t used any physical torture, so what had they done?  Asked Hux in a more demanding way than everyone else had?

Then suddenly, it all made sense.

“...Luke…”

“Yes, I had the pleasure of meeting your uncle today,” Hux replied.  “Interesting fellow. Failed as hard as everyone else that has interrogated me so far, but at least it was someone different.”

Well, that explained what task Leia had entrusted Luke with when she had asked him to come.  It was also a sign that the Resistance were getting desperate. Nearly a week had passed since Hux had been captured and they’d learned about the existence of Starkiller Base, but they were no further to finding out where it was.  Time was running out, and Leia was trying anything she could think of.

“What did he do?” Ben asked.  He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Hux’s version.

“He asked me where Starkiller Base was.”

“That was all?”

Hux nodded.

“How did it feel?”

It was obvious from Hux’s expression that he found Ben’s question to be strange.  “What do you mean, how did it feel?”

“When he asked you, did it make you feel calm, or angry…  Did you start thinking about Starkiller Base more?”

Hux’s confusion gave way to a look of realization.  “You’re asking if he used the Force on me, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Ben answered.  “Whatever you felt when he was talking to you was probably Luke’s fault.”

Hux fell silent, and Ben could tell that he was taking a few moments to get his thoughts together.  When he spoke it was with reluctance, but also with an obvious honesty that had previously been lacking in their conversations.  “I felt calm, at peace even… There was a part of me, a part near the edges, that almost felt regret at creating Starkiller and wanted it destroyed.”

“But you didn’t tell Luke anything.”

“It was a passing thought that I could ignore.”  The strength and conviction returned to Hux’s voice as he looked Ben in the eyes and asked him a question.  “What did he do to me, and are you doing it too?”

Ben sighed, choosing to tackle Hux’s first question first.  “He used a jedi mind trick on you. If someone has a weak mind, you can influence them to do all kinds of things.  Luke is very powerful in the Force so he has a better success rate than most.”

“I’m not weak minded.”

“No, you’re not.  That’s why it didn’t work.”

“You didn’t answer my second question, Ren.  Are you playing these mind tricks on me too? Is this why I’ve been having all of these insufferable thoughts and feelings about you?”

It was one thing to suspect that Hux reciprocated the feelings Ben had for the General, but it was an entirely different thing to hear Hux admit it.  Even if the declaration had been clumsy and filled with misplaced anger, it was still more than Ben had ever hoped to hear. It was also more than he had ever wanted to hear, because no matter how Hux felt, there was never going to be a happy ending.

“I haven’t done anything to you,” Ben answered honestly.

“You’ve been reading my thoughts all along.”  Hux was getting agitated now, his voice rising to a level that Ben had never heard from him before.  

Ben could feel the situation slipping out of his control.  “I can sometimes catch people’s surface thoughts, the things they’re thinking of in that moment, but nothing more than that.”

Hux rose to his feet, his shoulders stiff with anger and fists clenched.  “I don’t believe you. Maybe you’ve even been putting thoughts in my mind too.”

Hux began to pace, his hands coming to rest behind his back as he turned tight circles in the small cell.  Ben had never really seen Hux in command, but he could imagine Hux striding across the bridge of the Finalizer in his perfect uniform as he gave out orders to his crew.  Hux may be young, but Ben knew better than to equate experience with skill, and had no doubt that Hux fully deserved his reputation as the First Order’s most formidable general.  There was no amount of captivity or ill fitting Resistance clothing that could dull Hux’s shine or his fight.

Ben stood up and walked around the table until he was close enough that if he reached out, he could touch the harsh set of Hux’s jaw.  He didn’t of course. “I promise you, I haven’t.”

“Then what is this, Ren?  Why have I been having these feelings about you, when I should hate you?”

Ben reached out with the Force and met anger, certainly, but also disbelief and longing.  Hux longed for understanding, for everything to be neatly spelled out like a First Order battle report that left no room for misinterpretation or questions.  Ben wished he could write everything down in a short, logical and well organized entry on Hux’s datapad, but feelings never could be quantified as easily as a battle report.

Ben reached out then with his right hand and grabbed Hux by the upper arm.  His grip was tight but not bruising, and it had the intended effect of stopping Hux from pacing.  “What are you feeling, Hux?”

Although Hux had stopped pacing and was close enough that Ben could see hints of gray in Hux’s eyes, Hux refused to look at him.  “I don’t know,” the General muttered.

“I’m lost too,” Ben said softly.  “I don’t know what this is either, but it’s honest.  You can trust that.”

Hux turned to face him, his hand coming to rest upon Ben’s bigger one that still held Hux’s left arm.  “I don’t want to. I don’t want any of this.”

Despite his words, Hux didn’t push Ben away.  If anything, he moved a step closer. Ben could smell the bland smell of Resistance standard issue soap clinging to Hux’s skin, and couldn’t help but think that it smelt wrong.  A General like Hux shouldn’t smell like every other body on the base, he was more than that. Special. He should smell like battlefields and fresh durasteel, blood and fire.

Ben tentatively touched his left hand to Hux’s right shoulder and slowly slid his hand around, past Hux’s shoulder blades, until he was holding the General in something akin to an embrace.  It was the kind of hug you’d give a wild animal that you were expecting to claw your throat out, and as the seconds drew on with no reaction from Hux, Ben was becoming more convinced that Hux would do exactly that.

But then Hux moved.  He dropped his hand from where it covered Ben’s and kept his arms firmly at his side, but he stepped into the embrace, not away from it.  Ben could feel Hux’s chin on his shoulder, and the scruff of his growing beard against his neck. Hux remained stiff as Ben encircled him with the arm that had been used to grab Hux earlier, but there was a shift in Hux’s emotions.  

The disbelief and confusion remained, but the anger had drained away to be replaced by something approaching contentment and peace.  

Maybe that was the best Ben could hope for.

Eventually, Hux took a step back and Ben allowed it, instantly dropping his arms and taking a step back too.  Although it would take more than a simple hug to remove the black bags under Hux’s eyes, he looked more relaxed and at ease than he had at any point since leaving Finalizer.  

“I’m as lost as you are,” Ben repeated.

“I’m starting to get that impression,” Hux replied.  “This was so much simpler before.”

“Before?”

Hux sat down on his bunk, his hand coming to rest above where the storybook was stashed away.  “When I first met you on the Finalizer and thought you were nothing but Resistance scum with a pretty mouth.”

Hux’s frankness was surprising and Ben knew that he was blushing when he felt his cheeks begin to burn and saw a small smirk spread across Hux’s face.  He was glad that Hux was feeling more like himself again, he just wished it wasn’t at his expense.

“What am I now?”  Ben wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer, but he’d never made the best decisions.

“You’re both the only thing keeping me sane,” Hux said, before pausing, “and the thing that’s likely to lead me to my destruction.”

“I don’t want to destroy you, Hux.”

“I might regret this, but I believe you,” Hux said sincerely.  He swung his slim legs onto his bunk before speaking again. “I think I’ve kept you here long enough.  You must have friends wondering where you are.”

“Not really.”  Hux raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, so Ben continued.  “But, it would be better if I leave before the night shift starts.”

“If you come back tomorrow, I might have read some of your book.”

Ben smiled.  “You should. I hope you enjoy it.”

Again, Ben was almost out of the door when Hux stopped him with a question that Ben knew had been rattling around in Hux’s mind for sometime before he found the confidence to voice it.  “Ren, do you know what will happen to me now? Are there any more interrogations they can subject me to or was today the last roll of the dice?”

Ben paused.  He knew that there was one more interrogation technique that the Resistance had at their disposal, and he was starting to think that the Resistance would go down that route.  Luke’s gentle Force interrogation hadn’t worked, but a more powerful Force interrogation borne from the dark side would be able to take every thought and piece of knowledge out of Hux’s skull.  There might not be much of Hux left at the end of it, but they would have the Starkiller Base location.

There was only person affiliated with the Resistance that was strong enough in the dark side of the Force to do that type of interrogation.  

Ben didn’t want to do it.  He didn’t want to risk destroying Hux’s mind, or losing himself in the process.

“I have no idea,” Ben lied as he walked out of the cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for your support on this!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Force visions, and important decisions

Ben wasn’t surprised to wake up to a holomessage from Luke, but he wasn’t pleased to see it either.  He had known that at some point Luke would request that they meditate together and Ben knew better than to deny Luke’s request.  His uncle had a way of making even the most innocuous and polite request feel more like a direct order, and this was no different.  At least Rey would be there, acting as a buffer and mediator between the two.

The meeting with Luke the day before had gone better than expected, as Ben had expected Luke to demand an apology for destroying Luke’s house. And for running away. And for all of the scorch marks he’d left on the training grounds, wounds he’d inflicted on his training partners, and the violent rages that had wrecked anything in the vicinity.  Ben had never apologized for any of it. He’d just left.

After leaving Luke’s temple, Ben had spent two years wandering the galaxy, paying his way thanks to the smuggling skills he’d picked up from his father. He’d never been as good at it as Han as he didn’t have his father’s natural charm and unnatural luck, but Ben had managed to get by. The Force had helped of course, although Ben had kept the majority of his power locked away.  He’d found that locking the Force away instead of falling into it as Luke had taught at the temple had helped him to gain control of it. Immersing himself had allowed the darkness to grow, but his years spent smuggling and barely dipping his fingers into the pool of his Force powers had suffocated that darkness until it was controllable again.

Ultimately, it had been leaving Luke and the Force legacy of the Skywalkers that had saved Ben.  If he’d stayed, Ben had no doubt that eventually, the dark side would have won and he’d have fallen.

Now, the darkness lay dormant within him, only waking up occasionally as an itch that needed to be scratched.  Even if he constantly used the Force, as long as he stayed away from doing things that fed that dark side, he could control it.  

His thoughts drifted back to that last exchange with Hux the night before. The Resistance interrogators had failed. Luke’s light side mind tricks had failed.  The scouts and ships searching for Starkiller Base were running out of time. The only guaranteed method of success, would be an interrogation from Ben.  

Ben was strong and in control of his dark side now, but that was only because he starved it of the oxygen it craved.  He knew that if he clawed the Starkiller location out of Hux’s mind, not only would Hux not withstand it, but neither would Ben.

That Ben was more concerned for Hux’s well being than his own, was not something he wanted to address.

Luke and Rey were waiting for him after lunch in a little garden that lay next to one of the landing bays.  The garden had already been there, growing wild and free, when the Resistance had taken over the base and it had been kept as an oasis of green, calm and life amongst the concrete buildings and landing bays that covered the rest of the base.  Ben had meditated there a few times in the past, but he preferred to meditate in his quarters, away from prying eyes that still found it hard to trust a Force user that had had anger issues in the past and was the grandson of Darth Vader.

“Good morning!”

The greeting came from Rey of course.  She looked as happy as Ben could ever remember seeing her and it made Ben’s own mood brighten.  Rey had always had that effect on him. Even when he was at his worst, a smile from Rey could make everything feel that little bit better.  He had never been sure if it was Rey’s Force energy influencing him, or just Rey herself, but he supposed it didn’t really matter.

Luke’s greeting was less enthusiastic, but no less warm.  Although Luke had obviously aged in the seven years since Ben had seen him last, he seemed to have gained a vitality that had previously been missing.  The new students were working out well, it seemed, and Ben was glad that Luke didn’t have to deal with anyone like him anymore.

Luke sat down beneath the largest tree in the garden and crossed his legs into a meditation pose.  “Shall we get started?”

Ben and Rey both nodded their agreement and sat before Luke, the three of them making a shape of a triangle.  Although Luke could fall into meditation in the blink of an eye, it had never come quite as quickly to Ben and Rey had always taken even longer.  It was not because of a lack of skill on Rey’s part, but was because of her natural vibrancy and zest that always took time to dampen down enough to meditate.  Rey burned like a sun, and like the sun, it was almost impossible for her to stop shining.

When they were young, Rey’s inability to stop being Rey and enter meditation quickly had always been an annoyance to Ben.  Now, however, he was glad for it. Because while Rey was taking time to calm her mind and put a lid on her natural spark, Ben could use that same time to lock away the things he didn’t want Luke to find.

The day that Ben had discovered that there was a part of his mind that Luke could not touch had been one of the most important days of his training with Luke.  It had shown Ben that he was just as powerful as his uncle, if not potentially more powerful, and it had enabled him to keep the worst of himself hidden.

Now, he had no dark voices whispering promises of glory to hide in that part of his mind, but he had something else he didn’t want Luke to know about. Ben wrapped his thoughts of Hux inside all of the confusing feelings he felt for the General, and stuffed it away in that part of his mind that Luke could not reach.

“Are you ready Rey?” Luke asked quietly, his voice nothing more than a whisper carried on the wind.

“Late as always,” Ben said with a wry smile.

Rey opened her right eye and glared at Ben, although she radiated only amusement.  “Better late than old.”

“Children,” Luke said, his voice amused but conveying a warning not to continue, “let’s begin.”

The three fell silent, and gave themselves over to the Force.  Force meditation was not something that Ben had ever been able to describe properly to anyone that had never experienced it firsthand, but he hoped that everyone would be able to feel the same absolute contentment and clarity that he felt there in that garden.

Meditation hadn’t always been as comforting to him.  During his time at the temple, it had been his most dreaded of all of the disciplines Luke taught. Opening yourself to the Force, and reaching out through it was not a one way flying lane. When you opened yourself to the Force you allowed the Force to flow through you, and for Ben that had meant welcoming both the light, and the dark.  The screams and the visions of Ben’s fallen future were always at their most vivid during meditation, and it had been rare for the younger Ben to finish a full meditation session. 

He had no such problems now, however, and as he felt the burning light of Rey’s Force energy and the mature stability of Luke’s rush out to meet him, he felt only peace.  Rey’s energy stayed in the center of their triangle but Luke’s washed over Ben, drifting through the younger man’s mind and sweeping over all of the memories and thoughts contained within.  It wasn’t invasive and Luke wasn’t reading Ben’s mind either, he was just feeling Ben’s emotions - his happiness, his fear, his anger… 

It had been at this point of the group meditations at the temple that Ben had always left, until he’d discovered that part of his mind that he could hide from Luke.  Ben’s fear and anger had been his own and he had protected them from Luke greatly. But now, Ben welcomed Luke’s presence. He received Luke into his mind and laid bare everything that Luke wanted to see for he had nothing to hide.

Other than Hux, but that was tucked away into a corner Luke could not find.

The meditation continued and Ben found himself relaxing in a way that he hadn’t in years.  Luke retreated from his mind and the three of them shared the rest of their meditation as true equals.  Ben saw snippets of a happy future, of Rey laughing with a group of young padawans, of his own future on a green island somewhere, accompanied by someone he couldn’t quite see.  He saw Poe and Finn setting out on adventures alongside that annoying orange droid, and he saw his mother dressed like the princess she was, seated in the highest chair the Galactic Senate had.

But he also saw another future.  One with destruction and death, one where Starkiller Base fired and billions died.  There was no Galactic Senate anymore, and the First Order continued their advance across the galaxy unopposed until system after system fell into slavery.  He heard the crackle of a red lightsaber, a sickly looking thing in three parts that was being wielded by a masked man in black. He also saw a shadowy figure, tall and withered with age and evil, in an outfit of gold.

The figure was talking, and it sounded like the voices that had tormented Ben during his darkest years.

Ben’s eyes immediately snapped open, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps as he fell back onto the grass beneath him.  Rey and Luke were there in an instance having fallen out of the meditation when Ben did, and Rey gripped his hand as Luke lay a hand upon Ben’s forehead.

“It’s okay, Ben,” Rey said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, “we’re back in the garden now.”

Ben took a few deep, calming breaths before rising back to a seated position.  Rey didn’t let go of his hand, but Luke shuffled back a little, giving him more space.  “Did you see it too?” he asked.

He could tell from the look on Luke’s face that the answer was yes.  “We all saw it, Ben.”

Ben ran the hand Rey wasn’t gripping onto through his hair.  He didn't know where to start. “If we don’t get the location of Starkiller Base, it will fire on the Hosnian System.”

“That appears to be a possibility,” Luke agreed.  “The Force showed us that possibility for a reason.  We must do all that we can to make sure that it doesn’t come to pass.”

“Can we help with the search at all?” Rey asked.  “Three Force users could be useful. We could get the other students to help too.”

As Rey continued to babble about how the Force could be a useful tool when searching the Unknown Regions, Ben felt his head begin to spin. How was the voice that had haunted his adolescence and early adult years involved with the First Order? Who was that figure?

It was Luke that cut through Ben’s thoughts.  “There is one more way that the Force could help.”

Luke was looking directly at Ben, and Luke didn’t need to voice the words for Ben to know what he was thinking of.  

“I saw great control within you when we meditated, Ben,” Luke said.  “You’re stronger than you think you are. And Rey and I could help keep the dark side from taking over you.”

Rey, it seemed, did not understand what Luke was talking about.  “What is it you’re asking Ben to do?”

“He wants me to interrogate General Hux,” Ben said, the words sticking in his throat.  “He wants me to rip into Hux’s mind and tear the man apart, while I lose myself in the process.”

Before Luke or Rey could respond, Ben continued.  “That’s the real reason why you’re both here, isn’t it?  Leia can’t have been naive enough to think that your Jedi mind tricks would work on someone like Hux.  She asked you to come here so that you could babysit me while I do it.”

Ben stood, and Luke stood with him.  “Your mother just wants what’s best for everyone.  For the galaxy, and for you.”

“Yeah, one day she’ll tell me that herself instead of hiding behind others.”

Rey called after Ben as he left the garden, but Luke stopped her from following him.  Ben was glad of that, because no matter how glad he usually was to speak to Rey, there was only one person he wanted to speak to at that moment.  As his feet took him to the cell block, Ben opened the part of his mind that contained his thoughts and feelings towards Hux and allowed them to overtake him once more.  Those feelings were confusing and strange, but at least they were honest.

Ben needed that honesty.

**

Hux was sat on his bunk, a pillow behind his back as he leaned against the wall with his legs curled up beneath him.  It was the most relaxed posture that Ben had ever seen from him, and it seemed strange to see Hux so relaxed when Ben himself still felt like a tightly coiled wire ready to snap. Hux was reading the book Ben had given him, but when he saw Ben enter the cell he quickly closed it and shoved it under the mattress.

“You’re here again?  To what do I owe the…” Hux’s voice trailed off, the rest of the sarcastic greeting dying in his throat.  “Are you okay, Ren?” he asked instead.

Ben walked into the cell, his long strides making quick work of the distance between the cell door and Hux’s bunk.  Maybe it was forward of him, rude even, to sit down next to Hux on that bed without asking for permission, but sitting at the table was too far away for Ben right now.

Hux seemed to sense that Ben needed that closeness, and that something had upset him.  Ben always had worn his anger on his face. “What happened?”

Ben knew that Hux’s immediate thoughts had been of his own situation, that maybe Ben knew something about Hux’s fate that had angered and upset him.  Ben had not expected, however, that Hux’s main concern was not what that fate would be, but why it was upsetting Ben so much.

“Conversations with my uncle can be very infuriating,” Ben said with a wry smile.

“I can believe that,” Hux replied, “I only spoke to the man for two hours yesterday and I wanted to smother him with his own cloak.”

Ben laughed then, although the sound came out less like a laugh, and more like a choking sound.  It stuck in his throat even more when he felt a tentative hand on his shoulder. When Ben didn’t shake it off and instead placed his own hand upon it, his thumb stroking Hux’s, Hux tightened his grip.

“How was your day?” Ben asked.

“Completely unremarkable.  No interrogations and no visitors other than for the grunt that brought my meals.  I tried to engage him in conversation, but would have had more luck with that mush you try to pass off as food.”

“Hey, that mush is five star gourmet food worthy of the best restaurants in Canto Bight compared to the kriff the First Order served me.”

“The First Order menu was specifically designed to cover all necessary nutrients and food groups.”

“By you?”  Ben was not surprised to see Hux’s jaw set in a way that proved that it most definitely had been designed by Hux.  “If only taste was a food group.”

Hux began a long and passionate defense of First Order rations, going into great detail about each meal of the day and the exact percentage to seven decimal points of tryptophan that was contained in each dish.  Ben stopped listening when Hux launched into a spirited defense of underfeeding those on the Stormtrooper program in order to get better results as hungry Troopers became more desperate to please.

With Hux’s hand on his shoulder and the easy banter of their conversation so far, Ben was suddenly struck by how mundane it had all been.  They were enemies on the opposite sides of a cold war that could explode at any moment, yet they’d spoken to each other like lovers meeting after a day apart.  Back when he was young, before the Force ruled his life and his parents could still stand to be around each other and him, they’d had so many conversations just like the one he was having with Hux.  Even this, with Hux enthusiastically rambling about something close to his heart while Ben spaced out was typical of Han and Leia, and it filled Ben with a warmth that was colored by sadness.

Warmth, because it was a reminder of happier times and the loving family they’d been, but sadness because it hadn’t lasted for nearly long enough.

“That was far more detail about Stormtrooper digestion than any person ever needed to know,” Ben said when Hux had finally finished.

“Those are the details you need to know to be a successful general like I am,” Hux said, before reassessing slightly, “or was. ”

“You’ll always be a general, General Hux.”

Hux took his hand away from Ben’s shoulder and traced patterns on the sheets they were sitting on.  “Do you really not know what will happen to me? I presume there will be some farcical trial to justify the death penalty they’ll give me.”

“I’ll answer you, if you answer a question for me first.”

Hux nodded his agreement.  Although he’d taken his hand from Ben’s shoulder, he shifted closer to him until they were sitting side by side.  Ben shifted closer as well, closing the gap until they were pressed together from hip to knee. As expected, Hux stiffened at the contact, but it was only for a moment.  He soon relaxed into the touch and even brushed Ben’s bare forearm with the scratchy wool of his sweater.

Ben could have stayed there forever, just sitting there in silence with Hux’s body warmth next to him, but forever didn’t exist for them.  “I had a Force vision earlier. I saw the future, or at least what might potentially happen.”

“The Force lets you do that?”  Hux’s awe was evident in every syllable he uttered.

“They’re open to interpretation and can be changed, but yes.  The Force shows us the future as a warning or encouragement, it’s up to us to decide what to do with that knowledge.”

“What did you see?”

“I saw two possible futures, but the content of those futures isn’t what I want to talk about.”  Ben, however, could not stop his mind from drifting back to the vision of the green island he’d seen before, or the thought that he felt the same contentment sat in that cell with Hux as he had during that vision. “I have a question about someone that appeared in one of those futures.”

Hux looked puzzled, but he leaned into Ben even more.  Ben doubted that Hux even realized he was doing so, but Ben welcomed the contact.  “Who did you see?”

“It was a male humanoid figure, but I don’t think he was human.  He was tall and thin, with a scarred face and withered body. He wore a gold robe, and seemed to have a position of power within the First Order.”

Hux didn’t give much away physically in response to Ben’s words, but there was definitely a strong reaction in his thoughts.  “I know you know who that is, Hux. I can also sense that you’re scared of him.”“I’m not scared of him,” Hux said without thinking, his pride hurt at the mere insinuation that he would be afraid of whoever this was.  

“So you do know who it is.”

“Yes, I do,” Hux admitted.  “I was under the impression that your mother does, too.”

Ben wouldn’t have been surprised in the slightest if Leia knew who that was.  There were many things Leia knew that she felt were important enough to not tell Ben about, from inviting Luke to the base, to Ben’s grandfather being Darth Vader.  Oh, it had been a horrible day at the temple when Ben had awoken to that revelation. “Maybe she knows, but I don’t.”

Hux had undoubtedly realized that Ben and Leia had a strained relationship, but he made no comment.  It was a sign of how deeply Ben had burrowed under his skin that Hux was letting such a weakness pass by without needling it for his own gain.

“I believe that the being you saw was Snoke.  He is the Supreme Leader of the First Order.”

“Supreme Leader?”

“It is thanks to the Supreme Leader’s guidance that the First Order has become the power that it is.”

Ben fell silent for a few moments as he thought back to the vision of the being that he now knew was called Snoke.  He had been giving a speech to some figures that the Force hadn’t decided to show Ben, but it had been a speech of triumph and fury.  It was the speech of an Emperor that had defeated all opposition. 

And if it had truly been the same voice then there was only explanation for it.  

“Is Snoke Force sensitive?”

“I had never considered it before, but having seen what you can do, I think he is.”

Ben took a deep breath.  “What have you seen him do?”

Hux paused, and seemed to lean on Ben a little more.  They were pressed together now from shoulder to knee, and Ben wondered who was getting more comfort from it - Hux, who’d instigated the touch, or Ben who’d accepted it.  “I’ve seen him punish people without touching them.”

Bursts of pain flared in Ben’s mind, and he immediately recognized them as echoes of the punishments Snoke had inflicted on Hux for what he considered to be substandard performance.  Ben felt a flare of anger inside him at how Hux had been treated, but he refused to give into it. Hux himself felt no anger about the punishments, only regret that he hadn’t achieved the lofty standards Snoke had set out for him.

Alongside that regret, was a sliver of fear.  Hux had seen Snoke do something far worse than a few bruising punishments.  “What else have you seen him do?”

“He’s had visions of the future.  He told me that he saw the success of Starkiller Base before we’d even started building it.  He talked about one day having a weapon that would be even more important than Starkiller.”

Ben wanted to ask about this other weapon, but he could tell from Hux’s thoughts that the man had more to say.  “I’ve also seen him interrogate people. I’ve seen him rip truths out of the heads of people lying to him without blinking an eye.”

Ben didn’t need to hear anymore.  Snoke was undoubtedly a Force user, and one that appeared to be incredibly strong in the dark side of the Force. Tearing into a mind like that was not an easy task and to do so with seemingly no effort was frightening to Ben. He knew first hand the depths that had to be mined in order to tear hidden thoughts from someone’s mind, and the possibility that Snoke could do that so easily was not something Ben wanted to contemplate.

He also didn’t want to contemplate the increasing likelihood that the voices he’d heard during his childhood, the ones that had tried to coax him into doing the most awful things, had come from Snoke.  How was that even possible? How could Snoke have manipulated him like that?

There were still so many things about the Force that Ben didn’t know, and other than Luke, he had nobody to ask.  He doubted that Luke would even tell him the truth, as honesty had never been a big feature of the Skywalker-Solo family.

Hux was getting increasingly talented at reading Ben’s moods, a skill made easier by how transparent Ben had always been, and his hand came to rest on Ben’s knee.  These easy touches were becoming more common between them, and that it was Hux instigating them this time said so much. Ben knew that other than those sexual encounters with petty officers, always more workmanlike than passionate, Hux had never really been touched just for the sake of being touched.  There had been no warm hugs from a loving parent when the young Hux skinned a knee, no celebratory hugs from a friend whenever Hux moved through the First Order ranks, and no one to turn to after a bad day at work.

Ben had, at least, had a loving family.  Han and Leia had been free with their touches until Ben had pushed them away, and Rey had always been there in his time at the temple.  Even during his couple of years scouring cantinas for smuggling jobs to pay for his fuel and food, he’d found a few people he could connect with for a few months before moving on.

Hux had never that.  Maybe he was finding it now, in his Kylo Ren.

Ben slipped his arm around Hux’s waist.  Hux didn’t flinch, didn’t stiffen, and didn’t move away.  If anything, he melted into the touch. “You had a question for me, didn’t you?” Ben asked softly.

“Yes, I wondered if you had an idea of what would happen to me next.  A trial, another interrogation…”

Hux didn’t complete his sentence.  He hadn’t become the highest ranking officer in the First Order without being able to link together two separate ideas and come to the correct conclusion.  “The Resistance has someone that can rip minds apart, like Snoke can?”

“It’s probably the same thing.”  Ben couldn’t find the words to admit that it was him.

“I won’t give up Starkiller Base,” Hux said with a certainty that Ben could feel, “to do so would be against everything I’ve worked for.”

Ben had known that was the case, but still felt disappointed.  “You must have seen how much it hurts, how it can destroy a person from the inside out?”

“What did you say to me on the Finalizer once, Ren?  We both know I’m not getting out of this alive. At least this way, if it destroys me, I’ll still have my pride.”

Ben wanted to protest, to say that he’d speak to his mother and would be able to reduce any sentence down from death to lifetime imprisonment, but even he knew that was futile.  When the Resistance had the information they needed, they would hand whatever was left of Hux over to the Galactic Senate, and then Hux’s fate would be out of Leia’s hands. Even if it was Leia’s decision, she wouldn’t put Ben’s misplaced feelings ahead of what the galaxy would demand, nor would he expect her to.

He couldn’t stay in that cell with Hux any longer, not while Hux was speaking so frankly of his fate, yet Ben was hiding the truth.  It was so comfortable there though, Hux’s hand a warm, welcoming weight on his knee and Hux’s hip so slim yet firm beneath his fingers.  He knew that if he stayed there even longer he’d do something stupid, like kissing Hux while his mouth was still full of lies.

Ben stood up, smiling sadly down at Hux as he did so.  “Nobody can take your pride from you, Hux.”

“Thank you.  Do you know when I’m likely to be interrogated again?”

At least this, Ben could answer honestly.  “I don’t know, but it’ll be soon. Time is running out before Starkiller Base fires.”

Hux nodded in agreement as Ben walked towards the cell door.  “I’ll see you tomorrow?” Hux asked. “I want to tell you how awful that book of yours is.”

“Wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

When Ben left the cells, he found his mother waiting for him.  She was dressed in Resistance fatigues and was typing away on her datapad, but immediately slipped it into her pocket when she saw Ben.

“You knew I was here?” Ben asked.

“I’ve known every time you came here,” Leia replied.  “You’re not as good as hiding from me as you think you are.”

Ben instantly realized that Leia knew everything.  She knew how he felt about Hux, and had been fully aware of that since he’d arrived on the Raddus with an unconscious General hanging off him.  She’d felt how things had developed between them, and she knew how much Ben longed for something he couldn’t have. Ben had only masked his thoughts and feelings towards Hux when he’d been in the same room as Leia, but Leia had always had a stronger connection with her son than that.

“What do you want?”

Leia looked at him with the eyes of a mother, but her voice was that of a general.  “I think you know already.”

“I don’t want to do it.”  Even to Ben’s own ears, his voice sounded more like a petulant young child than a confident man.

Leia seemed to sympathize, but wouldn’t be swayed.  “We have no other options, Ben. I believe in you. I believe that you can do this.”

“I know that I can do it, that’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Are you worried about him?  I know that you have... developed feelings for him,” Leia said.  She couldn’t mask her hatred of Hux when she spoke of him, even though she’d tried.

“I’m worried about him, and I’m worried about me.  You don’t know how close I came to falling to the dark side, Mom.  You’ve never understood that.”

“How could I when you were always hiding it from me?” Leia replied.

Ben wanted to scream that he'd been a young boy when it had started, and that blaming it on his silence was unfair.  He wanted to shout that she was his mother, that it had been her duty to protect him from all the evils of the galaxy, regardless of whether they were hiding within him or not.  She was supposed to have supported him, but she had shipped him off to Luke.

Instead, he said nothing.

“Ben, you're stronger now.  You can control the darkness and stop it from taking you.  Luke believes that too.”

Of course, Luke had already reported back to Leia about the results of their earlier meditation.  “And just in case I can't, Luke and Rey will step in and save me from falling into the darkness that you’re pushing me towards.”

“We are running out of time, Ben.  We aren't going to find Starkiller Base, our only chance is to get the location from General Hux.  Without it, billions will die.”

“I know that,” Ben said quietly.  And truly, he did. That was what made the situation so hopeless.  

He knew Leia was right. 

He knew he had to do it.

He just didn't want to.

“Tomorrow, Ben. Straight after lunch.  I believe in you.”

Ben had no fight left in him.  He nodded his agreement and barely resisted the urge to shake off Leia's hand when she gave him a reassuring pat on the forearm.  She left then, leaving Ben leaning against the wall outside the cells with the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben doesn't want to do it, but he knows he has to.

Ben couldn’t quite remember leaving the prison area the night before, or how he’d managed to make it back to his own quarters.  He’d been in a blind daze where he’d blocked out anything and everything, both externally and internally, and had just let his feet carry him to wherever they had wanted to go.  Luckily, he’d wandered the halls so many times that he could map out the entire base in his sleep, so even in his disassociated state he’d made it back to his own quarters without any problems.

He hadn’t managed to sleep, however.

Instead, he’d enveloped himself in the Force in the way Luke had always told him to, its positive energy flowing through him and making his fingertips tingle.  He was in-tune with every person on the base this way, and he had spent the night jumping around from person to person, bathing himself in their calm as they slept through the night cycle.  Not everyone had been asleep, however. There was, as always, the skeleton crew tasked with protecting the base even at night, and the intelligence officers nervously pacing around the meeting room as time continued to tick by with no news on the location of Starkiller Base.

Leia had spent most of the night awake too, as had Luke.  Ben had hoped that it was concern for him and regret over their abrupt conversation that was plaguing Leia, but that wasn’t the case.  She was merely making plans with Luke for what they would do to monitor Ben after he had interrogated Hux. Ben had swiftly pulled away, not wanting to know the answer.

Rey had been sleeping soundly, and Ben was glad for that.  Although Rey had basically been adopted into the family, she didn’t need to become part of the bad communication, lies and mishandled concern that made the Skywalker family what it was.  Let Rey sleep, and let her remain her usual hopeful, honest self.

Ben purposely stopped himself from looking at either the cells or Poe’s quarters.  He didn’t want to know if Hux was sleeping soundly, or if he was pacing around his room, worried for the day that was yet to come.  He also didn’t want to know if Finn was tucked in next to Poe, and instead went back to watching over the base. It didn’t calm him down, but it didn’t make him worse either, so Ben considered it a productive exercise.

He must have fallen asleep at some point as he awoke to brilliant sunshine flooding his small room.  He still wore the clothes from the day before and had a pounding headache, so Ben remained lying down and tried to empty his mind of all of the thoughts buzzing around inside like a fleet of TIE fighters.  It was breakfast time, but he couldn’t bring himself to move, so he lay there as the base woke up around him.

It was around 10am before anyone came to find him.  Ben wasn’t surprised to see that this time it was Rey knocking on his door, and he was even less surprised when she just walked in without waiting for an invitation.  Poe had no doubt volunteered to get Ben too, but he was glad that it was just Rey. With Poe would probably come happy, trusting Finn, and also that kriffing droid that seemed to have a vendetta against Ben, and that was way more people, and hope, than Ben could cope with. 

Rey sat down on the edge of Ben’s bed, pushing his legs out of the way so that she’d have more room to sit.  She was worried about him, that much was obvious, but she was smiling at him with the same kind eyes that she always had.  It reminded Ben of the times the young Rey, scared of being abandoned again and forever worried about Ben, would sneak into his hut at the temple and make him read to her until the sun rose.  Some nights he’d thrown her out but most nights he hadn’t, and she had become to feel more like family to him than his actual uncle had.

He smiled back, kicking her gently in the side as he fluffed up the pillow under his head that he’d flattened during the night.  “Did I miss breakfast?”

“Yep.  Finn ate yours.  If he’s not careful he’ll be the size of a Hutt soon.”

“I’m sure that Poe can come up with some suggestions for how he can exercise the calories away.”

Rey punched him in the stomach again, the blow just as light as it had been on the day of her arrival at the base.  Even in his wildest dreams Ben hadn’t imagined that meeting Rey again would be as easy and natural as this. They’d instantly fallen into their old teasing rhythm of being the sibling the other had never had but always wanted, only this time the good times weren’t overshadowed by Ben’s increasingly frequent breakdowns.

At least one good thing was coming out of this mess.

“I can sense that you’re worried,” Rey said, changing tone from the earlier teasing, “is it because of interrogating General Hux later?  I’ll look after you, Ben. Luke will too.”

“I know you will,” Ben replied, and he did know that.  He knew that Rey would go to any lengths, including risking her own safety, to protect him. She’d run into the middle of his tantrums enough time at the temple to prove that.

And Luke…  For all of the problems Ben had had with Luke, he was equally certain that Luke would do all he could to save Ben from falling into the darkness too.  It had taken Ben years to realize, but Luke always had done everything he could to help Ben, it had just never been enough and had focused on all of the wrong places.

“It’s more than that though, isn’t it?”  

Rey had always been more perceptive than her years.  Sometimes that had helped, as she’d been able to guess things that Ben didn’t have the words to voice, but sometimes, like now, it was very inconvenient.

“Nothing for you to worry about,” Ben said, his thoughts drifting to Hux.  The General was awake, he could tell, and seemed to be trying to distract himself from everything that was happening by losing himself in Ben’s book.

Ben hoped that Hux was finding some comfort in the worn pages of that book.  It was a story of pure fantasy, a place that bore little similarity to anything in their galaxy, and that had always been the main hook for Ben. As his Force powers had grown and his parents had become more distant from both him and each other, he’d been able to lose himself in a world where the Force didn’t exist.  He’d imagined himself in that world, sometimes as the prince he technically was, and sometimes as the soldier. 

He preferred being the soldier.

Maybe Hux would prefer to be the prince?

“You’re thinking of General Hux.”

Ben didn’t reply.  There was a small window in his quarters that overlooked one of the landing bays and he watched as an unmarked ship, fresh from a tour of the Unknown Regions, slowly landed.  He didn’t need the Force to know that the pilot’s search for Starkiller Base had been unsuccessful.

Rey shuffled higher on the bed so that she could run her fingers through Ben’s hair.  It had always soothed him in the past, and she was happy that it was still the case, even now.  “Oh Ben, what have you gotten yourself into?”

He continued to stare out of the window.

“Does he feel the same?”

Ben looked at her then, his brown eyes sadder than she could ever remember seeing them.  “Unfortunately, I think he does.”

“You don’t like to make things easy for yourself, do you?”

There was no anger in Rey’s voice, and not a hint of disappointment either. It was a stark contrast to the tone of Leia’s voice when Ben had spoken to her about Hux the night before, and yet again Ben was immensely grateful that he had someone like Rey in his corner.  He selfishly wished that she would stay with the Resistance, and him, forever, but Ben knew that Rey’s path would lead her to greater things than babysitting him. She deserved more than that, too.

“You’re not angry at me?”

“No,” Rey answered honestly.  “Why would I be?”

“He’s General Hux.  He’s the enemy. He’s the person that designed Starkiller Base and the person stopping us from finding it.”

“And seven years ago you were padawan Ben Solo, the person who flew into violent rages all of the time and blew up Master Luke’s house when he didn’t get his way.”

“So if I wait seven years it’ll all be fine?”

“That’s not what I mean, silly,” Rey said, tugging on his hair a little.  “Seven years ago when you were the terror of the temple, I was still your friend.  You were horrible to everyone else, but never to me. People can be both good and bad, Ben.  It doesn’t have to be all one thing, and none of the other. Just because General Hux has done some horrible things doesn’t mean everything he’s done is horrible, or that you’re wrong to like him.”

“Just like you weren’t wrong to be my friend, back then,” Ben said, realizing Rey’s point.  When had she become so wise?

“Right.  Don’t forget what he’s done, but don’t hate yourself for finding things to like about him either.”

Ben nodded.  He knew that she was right, and knowing that Rey had his back no matter what helped lift his spirits a little, but it didn’t help to relieve the core of his worries.  Maybe, however, she could help with that too. “I’m worried about interrogating him.”

“I won’t let you fall to the dark side, Ben, even if it means dragging you out of it by your hair.”  The determination written all over Rey’s face was slightly awe inspiring, and again Ben was immensely glad that she was on his side, and not against him.

“I’m worried about what I might do to Hux.  What if I go too deep into his mind and destroy it?”

“Is that likely?”

“I don’t know, Rey.  I’m not an expert at interrogations, or the Force, or anything.  I know I have to do this, and I will, but I wish Leia hadn’t asked me.”

“I wish she hadn’t asked you either,” Rey said sadly as she squeezed his shoulder.  “Or at least, I wish it wasn’t General Hux that you had to do this to.”

“It probably would be easier if it was some other First Order officer I didn’t…” Ben paused before continuing, “...care for.”

“I wish I could do it for you,” Rey said, and Ben had no doubt that the sentiment was honest.

“I don’t.  You’re not dark, Rey, and for that I’m grateful.”

“I wish I could actually do something, instead of just standing idly by in case something goes wrong.”

“You are helping.”  Ben sat up and took one of Rey’s hands in his.  They were so slender and delicate compared to his own, but the callouses he could feel on her fingers from hours of lightsaber forms proved that Rey herself was anything but delicate.  “Being here and talking to me helps.”

Rey didn’t seem entirely convinced but she smiled, anyway.  “There was one more thing I wanted to ask you about Ben, but it’s not related to the interrogation.”

Ben’s curiosity was piqued and he could do with the distraction.  “Fire away.”

“I spoke to Master Luke about those visions we had yesterday during the meditation.  He was happy to talk through what we had seen, until I asked him about that figure we saw at the end.  He refused to discuss it any further. Why do you think that was?”

Ben wasn’t sure, but he was pretty certain that Luke’s reaction meant that he knew who it was, just as Leia had.  He also wasn’t sure what would be achieved by telling Rey who the figure was, but he didn’t think it was fair to lie to her, either.  

“I don’t know why Luke reacted like that, but I know that the figure was Snoke, the Supreme Leader of the First Order.”

“You didn’t know that yesterday,” Rey pointed out.  “How did you find out?”

“Hux told me,” Ben answered honestly.  “He knew that Leia knew already, so it wasn’t like he was giving me secret information.”

Rey looked at him like he’d sprouted a pair of lekku.  “General Hux told you? He actually told you?”

“Like I said, it was information the Resistance already had, so…”

“Did you hear any of the reports from his interrogation sessions?” Rey asked, interrupting Ben.  When Ben confirmed that he hadn’t, she continued. “He told them nothing in those sessions. He just stated his name, rank and post.  He wouldn’t even confirm the existence of Starkiller Base after the blueprints you and R2 stole were pushed into his face, but he told you about the Supreme Leader?  The Resistance might know about Snoke already, but it’s not common knowledge, unlike Starkiller Base is.”

Ben thought it wise not to tell Rey that Hux had actually spoken to him about Starkiller Base, too.  “He’s a good general.”

“But not with you.  He really must care about you, too,” Rey said.  Ben felt a wave of decision flow through her, but it quickly passed.  

“I guess so,” Ben acquiesced.  “He also told me that Snoke is Force sensitive, and appears to be very powerful in the dark side.  It made a few things a bit clearer.”

“Like what?”

Ben took a deep breath.  If there was only person in the galaxy that could understand the true importance of what he was about to say, it was Rey. “Do you remember at the temple, how I said to you that I could hear voices sometimes?”

Rey could remember that.  She remembered sneaking into Ben’s hut when she was ten years old, to find a twenty-year old Ben shaking in the corner because the voices wouldn’t leave him alone.  It had been the first time he’d told her about the voices and she’d been scared for him, but she’d stayed. She’d stroked his hair and read the same stories he’d usually read to her until the sun rose.  Rey didn’t really know what it meant to have a family, but on that night she had suspected that having an older brother was pretty similar to having Ben.

“I remember.”

“The voices were Snoke, I’m sure of that.”

“How is that possible?”

Ben closed his eyes.  If he concentrated hard he could still hear those voices in his head, and even though they were nothing more than echoes of memories he couldn’t forget, it still scared him.  “I don’t know.”

“I bet Master Luke knows something, and that’s why he didn’t want to talk about it.”

That thought had entered Ben’s mind too.  “Probably.”

“Ugh, I hate secrets,” Rey said.  “You’re the only one that’s ever been honest with me.”

“I know,” Ben agreed.  “But don’t ask Luke about it, please?  I want to ask him myself when everything with Hux is finished.”

“Okay,” Rey agreed, squeezing Ben’s hand one last time before she let go and stood up.  “How about you get cleaned up and dressed, and then I’ll see you in the mess hall for lunch?”

Ben looked down at yesterday’s clothes that he was still wearing and thought that a shower sounded like the best idea he’d ever heard.  “Sure. Can it be just us though? I don’t know if I can cope with Poe and Finn holding hands under the table where they think nobody can see them.”

Rey laughed.  “They are a bit sickening, aren’t they?  I think even BB-8 is getting a little annoyed with it.”

“It’s not all bad then,” Ben smiled.

Rey rolled her eyes, well aware of the mutual hatred between Ben and Poe’s little droid, and left Ben alone.  He was still a jumble of emotions and hadn’t had anything approaching the correct amount of sleep, but he didn’t feel like there was an ever-tightening vice clamped around his heart anymore.  

He tried to clear his mind of thoughts of interrogating Hux that afternoon and instead tried to concentrate on the tasks ahead of him in the order they presented themselves.  Shower. Dress. Eat. Then, and only then, would he allow himself to think about the daunting task that lay ahead of him.

**

What had once been hours of time quickly reduced down to minutes, and Ben found himself stood outside the room that had been designated as the interrogation room with no idea of how the rest of his morning had passed. He’d picked at his food while Rey had chatted away about the other students at the temple that he had once known. She’d dragged up every funny story she could think of, half of which were false or at least gross exaggerations Ben was sure, and had done all she could to ensure that there was no silence between them.

It was good that Rey had put so much effort in, because Ben had been practically silent the whole time.  His attempts at only concentrating on the task at hand and forgetting about Hux had not been very successful.

Rey was with him now, leaning against him with her head resting on his shoulder.  Ben wasn’t sure who or what they were waiting for, but he knew that Hux was already in the interrogation room.  He could feel Hux’s anxiety and fear radiating through the walls and wondered if Rey could feel it too. Since those first meetings on the Finalizer, Ben had been able to read Hux’s moods and thoughts easier than he had ever been able to read anybody else’s, and he was desperately trying not to allow his mind to run away with what that might mean.

He could find out what it means though.  He’d soon have Hux’s entire mind at his fingertips, waiting to be read like a holopad full of information.  He could flick through Hux’s thoughts, find his innermost secrets and desires, and see exactly what Hux thought of him.  Ben could do it. Nobody would even need to know, not even Hux…

Ben shook those thoughts from his mind with a twitch that ran through his body and dislodged Rey from her position on his shoulder.  Those hadn’t been his thoughts. Those had been the thoughts of the dark side that slumbered within him, as it slowly woke up and realized it was about to be fed.  It was those thoughts, and others like it, that Ben had to dip into, but control, when he interrogated Hux. Hux’s mind belonged to Hux alone, and the only part that Ben needed was the part that protected the location of Starkiller Base.

Ben had to use the dark side.  

But he couldn’t let it use him.  

Ben was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the approach of the Skywalker twins until Rey gently nudged him in the side.  Yet again, Ben couldn’t get a good read on either of them, but Luke was struggling to look Ben in the eyes. Leia looked at him with passive, yet kind eyes, and he could tell that she was about to talk to him as a war general, and not a mother.

“Thanks for coming Ben, Rey,” Leia said, addressing them each in turn. “How are you feeling today, Ben?”

She was, no doubt, feeling a little guilty over how their discussion the night before had ended.  The spiteful, childish part of Ben that he’d never quite managed to expel was glad she was feeling guilty, but thankfully it was his more mature side that answered.  “I’m fine. Eager to get this over and done with.”

Leia moved closer to him and gripped his upper arm, her face turned up to his and open in a way he hadn’t seen it in years.  She’d let the general slip and become his mother again, and all of her love, concern and fears for him hit him with a strength that made him sag against the wall behind him.  Ben finally saw Leia for what she was then, a woman that was forever torn between her roles as a general and a mother, never quite succeeding at balancing them both, while being fully aware of her own failures.

She blamed herself for everything, he realized.  If only she’d campaigned louder and for longer at the Senate, then maybe the First Order wouldn’t have been able to get its claws into the Unknown Regions and build Starkiller Base.  If only she’d spent more time with baby Ben and kept him with her instead of sending him to Luke, then maybe Ben wouldn’t have had the horrible adolescence and struggles with the Force that he’d had.  Her regrets went deeper and further back than that too, to her stormy marriage to Han, to the destruction of Alderaan and the death of the only parents she’d ever known.

Leia’s entire life was full of regrets and things she could have done better, and she was showing them all to Ben for the first time.  He’d never felt more like his mother’s son.

Ben embraced her, her head fitting neatly under his own.  He could still remember the days when hugging her meant standing on tiptoes and struggling to wrap his arms around her waist.  She’d felt so strong to him then, like she could stop the entire galaxy and reduce it to rubble if she wanted to. Now, he was finally realizing that she was just as human as he was.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “None of it was your fault.”

She squeezed him, and Ben thought he heard something like a single sob escape her throat, but she soon stepped back.  The soft, kind face of a mother remained for a couple of seconds before being replaced once again by the hardened face of a general.  Yet again Ben was struck by how similar Leia and Hux were, and how they both hid their humanity away in order to be the strong generals they needed to be.

“Is everyone ready?” Leia asked.

Luke seemed strangely subdued but nodded his agreement.  Rey patted Ben on the back one last time before moving to take her place next to Luke. “Do you want us inside with you, or shall we stay out here?” Rey asked Ben.

There was no hesitation in Ben’s reply.  “Outside, please.” He didn’t want Rey to see what he was about to do, and she seemed to understand his reasoning.

Leia, Luke and Rey stood in silence, their expressions a mix of determination, concern and support as Ben opened the door and walked in to see Hux.

**

The interrogation room was bare.  It was such a contrast to all of the other rooms on the base that were overflowing with equipment, half of which no longer worked, and were usually staffed with several sleep deprived Resistance members.  There was nothing here but a table and two chairs, and nobody present but General Hux.

Hux was tied to the chair in several places, his ankles were strapped to the chair legs, his wrists to the metal arms of the chair, and there was a leather band around his chest that kept him secure against the back of the chair.  It pained Ben to see Hux tied up that way and so obviously a prisoner, but he knew that it was necessary for the interrogation that was about to come. He needed Hux to be still when he broke into Hux’s mind, and he needed to be sure that Hux wouldn’t injure himself in the process either.

It struck Ben that Hux didn’t seem surprised to see him.  Although he could still feel Hux’s anxiety and fear simmering away beneath the surface, Hux looked calm.  He even managed a half smile, just a quirk of his lips really, when Ben shut the door behind him. 

“Well, I must admit that I’ve thought about being tied up and at your mercy before, but this wasn’t quite what I had in mind.”

Ben looked at Hux in stunned silence.  Hux was the one that was tied up in the heart of enemy territory and was about to have his mind cracked open, yet he was making jokes to make Ben feel better.  There was a lot of false bravado in Hux’s voice Ben could tell, but the truth remained that Hux was feeling a lot calmer about everything than Ben was. Hux was ready for what was about to come, he’d made his peace with it, and Ben knew that he owed Hux the same.  

“You don’t seem surprised to see me,” Ben said.

“I had a suspicion it would be you that would interrogate me,” Hux answered.  “I don’t know much about the Force, but I do know that there aren’t many people that can use it anymore.  It was a process of elimination.”

“I’m sorry.”  And Ben was. He was sorry for what he was about to do, he was sorry for not telling Hux earlier, and he was sorry for lying to him about it.

Hux scoffed.  “Don’t be. All’s fair in war.”  Hux paused, and then continued in a lower voice.  “Besides, if it had to be anyone I’m glad that it’s you.”

Ben quickly covered the short distance between the door and the chair that Hux was tied to and fell to his knees by Hux’s side.  He balanced himself by putting a hand on Hux’s thigh, which Hux pointedly didn’t look at. “You are?”

“Some people take great delight in seeing other people suffer, Ren.  I’m sure that there are many Resistance members that would like to see me suffer, and honestly, I probably deserve it.  But you… I trust you to only do what is necessary.”

That was not the answer that Ben expected to hear.  For the first time, it was not the answer he wanted to hear either.  “Is that the only reason?”

Hux looked to the floor, his loose, gel free hair falling around his eyes like a curtain that shielded the storm within those eyes from Ben’s view.  Ben, however, could still see the pink blush of embarrassment that colored Hux’s cheeks. “Is it not because of how you feel about me?” Ben continued.

“How do I feel about you, Ren?” Hux asked, frustration evident in his voice. “Would it help you to know how you’ve utterly ruined me? Would it make your task easier?”

“Hux, I…”

“Because you have ruined me.  I’ve spent more time in my cell worrying about whether you’ll come and see me or not than I have worrying about the future of Starkiller Base.  It was my life’s work, Ren. Starkiller was to be my legacy for generations to come and all I can think of is you.”

There was so much anger and frustration evident in Hux’s voice and body language that it almost made Ben shuffle back and give Hux some space, but then he noticed that none of that anger was directed at him.  Hux was angry at himself. Hux saw his feelings for Ben as a weakness that he could not afford, and he was disappointed in himself for letting them interfere in what should have been the crowning moment of his career.

“Would it make you feel better to know that you’ve ruined me too?” Ben said.  “This interrogation won’t be easy on me either. I risk losing myself as much as I risk losing you.  There are two people stood outside that door waiting to rush in here and subdue me if things go wrong.”

Ben reached up, the tips of his fingers coming to stroke along the soft edge of Hux’s bearded jaw as he softly guided Hux to face him.  “And although I might lose myself, I’m more worried about losing you,” Ben said.

Hux leaned into Ben’s fingers as much as he could while he was bound, and closed his eyes.  He allowed Ben’s words to flow over him and felt his anger washing away. “I know you’re more worried about me.”

“You do?”  Ben felt a bit bolder and took Hux’s face more firmly in hand.  His fingers were now in Hux’s hair as his thumb stroked Hux’s sharp cheekbone.  They’d been here once before, on the Finalizer, but that felt like years ago.

“I had a visitor today,” Hux explained.  “A young lady named Rey came to see me.”

Ben didn’t know what to think.  There was a small part of him that was angry at Rey for doing so without his permission, as if Hux was his and his alone to visit.  Hux was his oasis away from the demands and expectations of his family and his bloodline, someone who accepted Ben for who he was instead of who he should have been.  Hux didn’t judge Ben for not being the leader Leia was, or for not having the roguish charm of his father, or the control and serenity of Luke. He wasn’t scared of Ben’s Force abilities either, and seemed remarkably unconcerned by having the grandson of Darth Vader as a frequent visitor.  

But that was unfair to Rey, Ben knew.  Rey was on his side, and he knew without question that Rey would have gone to Hux to help matters, not to try and turn him against Ben.  Rey wasn’t like Leia or Luke, she had no alternative motives or big plan that she was trying to act out. But that didn’t explain why she had gone to Hux, either.

“What did she say to you?”

“She had a lot of questions that she wanted answers to.”

That didn’t sound good.  “About what?”

“Me.  You,” Hux paused.  “And Supreme Leader Snoke.”

Rey went to Hux about Snoke?  Ben knew that Rey had more questions about Snoke and his role in Ben’s problems at the temple than Ben had answers, but he hadn’t expected her to go to Hux about it.  Hux may have known more about Snoke, but he knew next to nothing about the Force. What answers could he possibly have had for Rey?

“What did you tell her?”

“Not as much as she told me.”

Hux was looking down at Ben with soft eyes and Ben wanted nothing more than to undo Hux’s bonds, stow him away on the Millennium Falcon and get as far away from the Resistance, the First Order and everything else as he could.  He wondered if Hux would be willing to go with him, if they could start a new life away from everything that was holding them back or whether Hux would refuse and demand to meet his fate as the general he took great pride in being.

“She explained to me what the consequences of doing this interrogation might be for you,” Hux explained.  “I don’t proclaim to understand the Force, and I don’t particularly want to either, but she was very worried about you.”

“She worries too much.”

“Maybe so, but maybe she was right to worry.  She told me about the voices you heard too, the ones you think were Snoke.”

They had been Snoke.  Ben knew that with a certainty that went all of the way down to his bones.  What he didn’t know or understand was how Snoke how managed to manipulate him through those voices, or why the Force had decided to give him that vision of Snoke now.  That vision and meeting Hux, one of the few people in the galaxy that knew Snoke and was aware of what he was capable of, had to be connected. The Force was trying to tell him something, but Ben couldn’t understand what.

“I’m certain it was Snoke,” Ben said.  He ran his hand through Hux’s hair, although not even Hux chasing the touch like a pampered cat could lighten his mood.

“I think so too,” Hux agreed, “because I remember something he said to me once, during our early meetings about Starkiller Base.”

Ben felt a block of ice form in his throat.  It made it difficult to talk, and part of him didn’t want to ask, but he knew he had to.  “What did Snoke say?”

“He said that there was another weapon out there, one that would be even more important to the First Order’s victory than Starkiller Base.  It had escaped him once, but wouldn’t escape him again. I’ve never forgotten this, because he said I was the key to the First Order finally getting it.”

Hux took a deep breath.  His expression was unreadable, but Ben could feel Hux’s concern for him bleeding through the Force as he continued to speak.  “Snoke said that with my help, the First Order would have its Darth Vader.” 

Ben felt like he’d been punched in the throat.  He could feel the darkness swirling inside him, flowing through his veins and aching to be released.  It all made sense. Those voices that had coaxed him towards the dark side had always told Ben that he was destined for greater things than even Master Luke could imagine.  He’d been promised a place where he belonged, where people kept their distance from him not through fear, as they did at the temple, but through respect. There was so much that Luke refused to teach him, but the voices promised to teach him everything.

They had promised to break him down and remake him into something new, and something better.  

Something that would surpass even the great Lord Vader.

Snoke wanted him to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, and that darkness that Ben usually kept locked away screamed to do so.  Ben screwed his eyes shut and tried to calm his breathing, in, out, in out, as his blood boiled with an urge to destroy that he thought he had left behind, years ago.

He lost track of where he was.  Ben’s every sense was turned inwards and against the darkness that was infiltrating his thoughts.  He wouldn’t slip back. He couldn’t. He still had a job to do. He had people relying on him. 

Ben could feel something scratching against his hand, and it took him longer than it should have to release that this sensation, at least, was external.  It wasn’t the darkness clawing underneath his skin to escape. It was something warm, something moving… Ben opened his eyes and the real world came rushing back.  He still had his hand on Hux’s face, and it was Hux’s beard that was scratching his hand.

Hux was calling his name over and over, each call getting more desperate and louder than the last.  Ben concentrated on Hux’s voice and felt the darkness retreat back to where it usually lay dormant. 

Hux seemed to recognize the calm that descended over Ben once again.  “I thought I’d lost you.”“You nearly did,” Ben admitted.  “I don’t think I can do this and survive it. I’m not as strong as everyone thinks I am.”

Ben knew, without doubt, that if he interrogated Hux as he had been tasked with, then he would fall to the dark side.  That’s what Snoke’s vision had foreseen, and it was what the pins and needles under his skin were telling him. If he was honest, there had been a part him of that had known all along that getting the Starkiller Base location would involve sacrificing himself, and he also knew that there was nothing Luke or Rey could do to save him.  

His fall would be fast, it would be complete and there would be no return.

Hux was saying something, but it barely registered in Ben’s ears.  He had seen what would happen if Starkiller Base was allowed to fire, and Ben couldn’t let that happen.  If he walked away now, he would spend the rest of his life haunted by the billions that Starkiller Base would destroy.  The galaxy would fall into slavery, and every spot of blood spilt would be his responsibility. 

Ben had no choice.  If he had to lose himself to save billions, then so be it.

Ben allowed his hand to drift over Hux’s face one last time before he pulled it away and stood up.  It was strange how making a decision, even a horrible one that was going to doom him, could result in a feeling of absolute clarity.  Hux was still talking, but Ben ignored it as he found his footing and reached out towards Hux with his right hand. He would be swift, and he would be gentle, but he would get that location.

It was the way it had to be.

“I’m sorry,” Ben said quietly.

He closed his eyes and opened himself to the Force.  Ben could feel everything, light and dark, serenity and violence, life and death…  it flowed through him and infiltrated every cell in his body. Ben felt connected to the entire galaxy, as if he was the master and the people within it were merely playthings to him.  He had never felt the Force this strongly before and it was intoxicating. There was warmth and light, and all of the joy ever felt within his heart, but at the same time there was a growing cloud of anger, hate and suffering that was building beneath his feet.  

Above it all, both the joy and the suffering, Ben could hear Hux’s rapid heart beat and feel Hux’s breath as he reached out to the General.  His fingertips brushed against the edges of Hux’s mind but didn’t press in, not yet. Ben took a deep breath as the galaxy itself seemed to form beneath his fingers, and running through every fiber of that galaxy were the words Hux was now screaming at him.

“Unknown Regions, Sector 7-G!  Ren!!”

Ben’s eyes snapped open, the Force rushed away and he was left on his hands and knees, gasping for breath in the middle of the interrogation room.  There was nothing but dark shadows left where the Force had once been and Ben felt overwhelmed when the sights, sounds and smells of the interrogation room came rushing back to him.

“Ren!!  Listen to me!  Unknown Regions, Sector 7-G!”  

Ben heard the words, but it took a few moments for his confused brain to piece them together.  It was a location, and that could mean only one thing. 

Hux had just told him where Starkiller Base was.  Ben hadn’t used the Force on Hux at all yet, Hux had told him of his own free will.

Ben fell to his knees in front of Hux once again, and with one wave of his hand he dismissed all of the bonds that tied Hux to the chair.  “Did you just tell me…”

“Yes,” Hux said.  “I couldn’t let you…”

Hux’s explanation died in his throat when Ben brought his hands up to frame Hux’s face and guided him down into a kiss they’d both been aching for for longer than either wanted to admit.  Ben’s lips were just as soft as Hux had imagined they would be, and his hair was even softer. 

Ben deepened the kiss, his body settling between Hux’s legs as his long arms snaked around Hux’s back.  He grabbed hold of that ratty Resistance sweater that Hux still wore, his fingers tearing into the wool with a fierce grip as there was still a part of him that was expecting Hux to be dragged away from him.  Hux was tracing the outline of one of Ben’s ears with his fingertips and Ben mewled into the touch, barely daring to believe that he finally had his general in his arms.

Hux pulled back slightly, just enough to break the kiss, and rested his forehead against Ben’s.  They were sharing the same air, the same heartbeats even, and now that Ben had tasted what had been previously forbidden to him, he didn’t want to let go.

“You gave me Starkiller Base,” he whispered, his nose rubbing against Hux’s as he spoke.

There was still so much conflict in Hux.  It flowed off Hux in waves that threatened to drag the General under and as Hux dropped his hands onto Ben’s broad shoulders, his grip moving from gentle to bruising in a fraction of a second, Ben knew that he was the only thing keeping Hux afloat.

“Starkiller Base was my crowning achievement.  It was my way of proving to everyone that I was better than them all,” said Hux, his voice a mix of pride and sadness, “nobody in the Empire or First Order could ever imagine something as magnificent as Starkiller Base.  And I just gave the information to destroy it.”

“Yes you did,” Ben agreed.  “You did it to save me, didn’t you?”

Hux closed his eyes.  “I couldn’t let Snoke have you.  He would have destroyed you, if you hadn’t already destroyed yourself.”

Ben kissed him again, the desolation left by the loss of the Force’s full power becoming less and less with every touch of Hux’s lips, and every whimper that spilled from them.  “Thank you. You saved me, and saved yourself, too.”

“It’s not that simple, not for me,” Hux stated.  “I just became a traitor to everything I believe in, Ren.  My life is now forfeit with both the Resistance, and the First Order.  I don’t have anything left.”

“You have me.”

Hux pulled away, his hands dropping from Ben’s shoulders as he leaned back into the chair he still sat upon.  Ben untangled his fingers from Hux’s sweater and sat back on his feet, a feeling of panic beginning to swell within him.  Hux was putting distance between them physically, and he could feel Hux withdrawing from him mentally too.

“You’re incredibly naive, aren’t you, Ren?  Just because I gave the Starkiller Base location freely, doesn’t mean that there will be a happy ending for us. Your mother is still going to give me to the Galactic Senate, there’s still going to be a trial because of all the planets I’ve enslaved and people I’ve ordered to be killed and I’m still going to be given the death penalty,” Hux said with certainty.  “And Ren, I’ll still deserve it.”

Ben could feel his frustration starting to build but he tried to keep hold of it. There had always been a fine line between anger and frustration for Ben, and he didn’t want to show Hux his anger.  Not now. Not when he could still feel Hux on his lips.

“You’re wrong,” Ben said.

Hux sighed.  He reached out and traced Ben’s lips with his fingers.  “I’m not a good man, Ren, just a good general.”

“I’ll fight for you.  I’ll testify on your behalf if I have to.  This can’t all be for nothing.”

“Do what you want, Ren.  It won’t make a difference.”

Ben leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Hux’s forehead before standing.  “We’ll see.” Ben swiftly turned on his heels and strode over to the door, eager to tell everyone the location of Starkiller Base, and to begin the fight.

Now that Ben had had a taste of Hux, he wasn’t willing to let him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, finally! I've had that interrogation scene in my head since I started writing this, so I'm so happy it's now up and posted.
> 
> Also, we now have a chapter count - 17 (16 chapters and an epilogue)! That means I've finished writing it, so there's definitely going to be an end to this, you just have to wait four more weeks to get there.
> 
> Thanks again for all of the comments, kudos, bookmarks and subscriptions. It truly does mean a lot to me.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the Resistance fleet race to destroy Starkiller Base, Ben has his own conflicts to solve.

Leia, Luke and Rey were waiting for Ben when he walked out of the interrogation room.  He could see that Leia had a barely filled in map of the Unknown Regions open on her datapad, her fingers poised to mark down the location of Starkiller Base.  Luke leaned casually against the wall, but the hand that gripped the hilt of his lightsaber was anything but casual. Rey was seated on the floor, her brown eyes wide with concern for Ben, and surprisingly, with a little concern for Hux, too.

The differences in their postures and concerns were not lost on Ben.

“What happened?” Rey asked, jumping to her feet.  “Is everything okay?”

“He told me where it is,” Ben answered simply.  “And I’m fine.”

Ben felt the once again familiar touch of Luke reaching out to him through the Force, and once again he accepted it.  His emotions were a whirlwind that were threatening to wash him away, but they were honest, they were his, and they were not products of the dark side.  Luke was assessing Ben again, looking for signs that Ben had fallen but Ben knew he’d find none. If, however, Luke finally saw the true depths of his feelings towards Hux, than so be it.

Luke’s hand drifted away from his lightsaber.  “I told you that you were strong enough to resist the dark, Ben.”

“You were wrong.”  Ben took a delight in saying that to his old master that he knew shouldn’t have.  “I would have fallen, but Hux saved me.”

“What do you mean?” Rey asked.  She was standing beside him now, her small hand coming to rest in the small of his back in a reassuring gesture.

“I didn’t interrogate him.  I didn’t need to. He saw what it was going to do to me and he just told me.”

There was confusion on Leia’s face and relief in her mind, but she spoke with the certainty of a general.  “Do you believe that he told you the truth?”

“Yes.”  Of that, Ben had no doubt.

“We’ll talk more about this later,” Leia stated, “but for now, I need that location.”

Ben took the holdpad from Leia and highlighted the area that Hux had told him.  It was an area that the Resistance had not even come close to yet, and it was highly unlikely they would have made it there before Starkiller Base was due to fire.  “It’s in this sector.”

“I think that should be enough to find it.”  Leia reached out to Ben then, her hands brushing his hair away from his face, just like she had when he was a child.  “Thank you.”

He took a comfort from Leia’s action that he didn’t quite feel that he deserved, not when his mind was more focused on Hux than it was on the destruction of Starkiller Base.  Hux was alone with his thoughts in the interrogation room, and Ben could sense how frustrated Hux was with himself for giving the Resistance the information they needed. Ben also knew that presented with the same situation, Hux would do the same thing. 

He’d choose Ben again, and again, and again.

Luke approached Ben with sadness in his eyes.  Ben wondered if Luke had seen how close he’d came to falling to the dark side.  “You look drained, Ben. You should rest.”

Ben wanted to argue, but he did feel exhausted.  He’d barely slept the night before, and the events in the interrogation room had taken more out of him than he wanted to admit.  He felt tired down to his very soul, but before he could rest he had one more question to ask. “What will happen to Hux now?”

“We’ll take him back to his cell and decide later,” Leia explained. “Destroying Starkiller Base is our main priority, and nothing will be decided until after we succeed, I promise.”

Leia was being honest, and it struck Ben how her tone had changed towards Hux since the night before.  Maybe it was the fact that Hux had volunteered the information, or maybe it was because she realized how deeply Ben felt for him.  Either way, something had changed and Ben was glad for it. Even now, after everything had happened, Ben still desperately longed for his parent’s approval.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an operation to plan.”

Leia left swiftly and with a spring in her step that had previously been missing.  She hated war and she hated battles, but she hated feeling helpless even more, and now she had the information she needed to save billions.  Planning battle campaigns was her speciality, and she had a strategy planned out in her mind within seconds.

“I sense that although you didn’t do the interrogation, what happened in there was still a trial for you and you must have many questions.  We’ll talk about them later,” said Luke. “For now, go and rest. You did well, Ben.”

Luke left too, following quickly after his twin sister.  Ben wanted to go back into the interrogation room, he wanted to kiss Hux again and feel him under his hands one more time, but Rey was soon leading him away and back to his quarters.  He couldn’t argue with her, not while his conscious mind was grinding down to a halt and drifting closer to sleep with every step he took.

His early days at the temple had been like this.  The constant meditation, training and battle practice coupled with his near constant fight against the darkness had left him permanently drained and back then he would have slept for days, if he had been allowed.  It had been a long time since the Force had exhausted him in this manner, and he crawled into his bed with no complaints. 

He knew that it would take at least a couple of hours before the Resistance were able to launch their assault on Starkiller Base, and then several more for them to reach the Unknown Regions even at hyper speed.  His mother had assured him that Hux’s fate wouldn’t be decided until after Starkiller Base had been destroyed, and he had no reason to doubt her, so when sleep came to claim him, he allowed it.

He slept peacefully as the base around him began to erupt into meetings, battle plans and action.  He was visited by Hux in his dreams and they were happy together instead of being divided by the boundaries of war.  The Force gave him only good dreams, and not even the roar of every fighter and every star cruiser taking to the skies was able to disturb Ben’s sleep.

**

When Ben finally awoke, day had turned to night and back to day again.  It was early morning, and one look at the empty landing bay next to his quarters was enough to tell Ben that the battle against Starkiller Base was well underway.  He freshened up as quickly as he could, and quickly made his way to the heart of the base.

The corridors on D’Qar were eerily quiet, but the main command center was a hive of activity.  Ben weaved his way through the crowd, closing his ears to all of the shorthand commands and reports that were being shouted out, and was relieved when he spotted Rey and Finn at the center of it all.  They were stood before a glass wall of blinking lights, and Ben quickly recognized it as a list of all of the X-Wings that were in action. Thankfully, all of the lights were still blinking.

Leia was there too of course.  She was surrounded by screens and people and although she stood with the same rigid determination Ben had always associated with her, her face was a storm of worry and desperation to get things right.  The stress in the room was palpable, even without the Force, as everyone knew that the Resistance would only get one shot at destroying Starkiller Base. They had to make it count.

“How are things going?” Ben asked Rey and Finn.  He knew better than to get under Leia’s feet when she was running such an important operation.

“The fleet are due to come out of hyperspace at any moment now,” Rey replied.  “You woke up just in time.”

“Poe’s leading the battle?” Ben asked, although he already knew the answer.  Who else would relish the difficult task ahead of them more than Poe Dameron would?

Finn answered Ben with a nod of his head.  The man looked looked drained by everything that was happening around him, and Ben couldn’t help but sympathize a little.  Finn was adrift in a world he knew nothing about and his one anchor, Poe, was flying headfirst into the most difficult mission the Resistance had ever taken on.  But it was more than that, Ben sensed. Up until a week ago, Finn had been on the other side of the war. He had been a First Order Stormtrooper. 

“Do you have friends on Starkiller Base?” Ben asked softly.  When Finn didn’t answer the question, Ben knew that the answer was yes.  “It’s okay to be worried about them as well as worried about Poe.”

“Ben’s right,” said Rey as she dragged Finn into a loose, one armed hug. “We know that the First Order take innocent children from their families and make them into soldiers.  They didn’t choose to be Stormtroopers anymore than you did. We need to destroy Starkiller Base, but that doesn’t mean that everyone on it deserves to die too.”

“Yeah, and some people that won’t be on Starkiller Base when it explodes probably should be.”

Finn’s words were sharp and pointed, and Ben found that he couldn’t disagree.  The Hux that he was pretty certain by now that he was head over heels in love with, was the same Hux that had overseen that Stormtrooper program and had ruthlessly deployed them into battle.  As well as having the blood of millions of Resistance members and civilians on his hands, Hux also had the blood of countless Stormtroopers that had been brainwashed into fighting a war they had no place being a part of.

That was what Hux had meant when he’d said that Starkiller Base or not, he still deserved the death penalty for all of the crimes he’d already committed.  If even Finn, someone so pure of heart that gloopy gray pudding could make him as excited as a six year old thought that Hux deserved death, then Ben knew he had no chance of convincing battle hardened Resistance and Galactic Senate members that Hux didn’t.

Rey cautiously stepped between the two men.  “Let’s not talk about things like that right now.  We should just be concerned with the success of the mission.”

“It’s okay, Rey.  He’s not wrong, after all,” Ben replied.

An embarrassed look crossed Finn’s face then, as if he knew that he had been too harsh with Ben, but didn’t quite know how to apologize to him. Heartfelt apologies were, no doubt, something else that had been missing from Stormtrooper training. Finn fully believed in what he had said, but the fact that he felt guilty for any upset he’d caused Ben was enough for Ben.

“I’m sorry Ben.”  Finn finally uttered, glancing over to Ben for only a second before quickly returning his gaze back to the wall of lights before them.  It was pretty obvious that Finn only had eyes for the light that represented Poe’s fighter. “I’m just worried about Poe.”

“Poe will be fine.  He’s the best pilot the Resistance has,” Ben said reassuringly.  “Just don’t tell him I said that.”

The three of them shared an uneasy laugh, but despite that unease it was enough to clear the heavy air that had surrounded them.  Ben had never lost sight of who Hux was and what he had done, but the heart never did pick wisely. His mother had told him that once.

“We’re out of hyperspace.  Target in sight.”

It had been Poe’s voice that had rang out, loud and clear around the command center and the busy room broke out into a frenzy of activity.  As reports came in from wing leader after wing leader, the screens updated with the number of enemy ships, battle tactics were adjusted, and new orders issued.  Despite the Resistance’s disadvantages, the lack of personnel and the dated equipment, they were a well-oiled machine and they had caught the First Order unprepared.

Ben wondered if the lack of General Hux, the man widely credited as being the most efficient general and best tactician the First Order had, would cause the First Order problems.  Would the other generals be able to quickly scramble together a counterattack to the Resistance?

Thinking of Hux again made Ben remember what it had felt like to finally reach out and take the man into his arms.  Ben wasn’t the most experienced when it came to relationships, his history consisted only of a couple of ill advised flings with traveling companions during those two years spent smuggling his way around the galaxy, but it had never consumed him the way Hux did.

He could feel Hux’s anxiety bleeding through the Force.  The General was pacing his cell, no doubt nervous about how the attack on Starkiller Base was progressing, and Ben wanted nothing more to than to go to him and soothe his nerves.  There was nothing Ben could do in the command center as not even the Force could have much influence on a battle this scale that was happening so far away. But he could help Hux.

Rey seemed to sense what Ben was thinking.  “Go. There’s nothing you can do here, anyway.  I’ll comm you when it’s all over.”

“Let me know if anything happens to Poe or…” Ben’s voice trailed off.  He didn’t want to reel off all of the names of the people he knew that were out there, in those fighters.  He almost wished he was out there with them, but knew that he’d been in no fit state to join the battle when it had begun.

Finn merely frowned when he realized what Ben and Rey were talking about, but he bit his tongue.  Without Ben he would never have escaped the First Order or found Poe so he owed Ben his gratitude, even if he didn’t agree with all of Ben’s choices.

As Ben left the command center, it was to the news that the First Order had scrambled their TIE fighters and that the battle had well and truly begun.  It became a cacophony of call signs, joy and sorrow after that, and Ben was glad to be out of there. He caught Leia’s eye just as he walked out of the door and she looked at him with a sad smile.

**

Hux was no longer pacing the cell when Ben arrived there, but his anxiety levels were just as high as Ben had sensed back in the command center. Even though Hux was locked away in a cell in a corner of the base that was as far away from the action as you could possibly get, it had been impossible for him to miss the signs of the battle that was coming.  That many ships taking off at once caused the very ground to shake, and Hux had been around naval fleets long enough to recognize that rumble even at this distance.

The knowledge that Hux had been waiting here in this small cell, alone, for all those hours since the interrogation pulled at Ben in a way that he knew it shouldn’t have done.  Ben would be relieved, joyous even, when Starkiller Base was destroyed, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t have a small sliver of sympathy for Hux over its destruction. Ben, who had drifted from one thing to the next without any real direction or purpose, didn’t know what it must feel like to have something you’d poured so much of yourself into destroyed, but he imagined it was something close to the despair Hux was currently feeling.

But to say that Hux felt only despair was incorrect.  The light that entered Hux’s eyes when he saw Ben, the way his lips almost curled into a smile before being forced back into a neutral grimace, and the way his hands almost reached for the Force user showed that Hux was capable of feeling so much more than despair.

Ben had told himself that he’d keep his distance from Hux, that he wouldn’t allow himself to give into the thoughts that had been racing around his dreams and his waking mind since the interrogation.  But seeing Hux battling against himself like that, wanting so much but refusing to allow himself to take, broke Ben’s resolution in a heartbeat.

Hux wouldn’t allow himself to reach out for what he wanted, so Ben had to reach out for both of them.

Even though Ben knew that Hux wanted him, he still approached the General with a hesitancy borne out of a disbelief that everything really was real.  Hux didn’t say anything, he merely took a step closer, his hot breath mingling with Ben’s in those few moments before Ben leaned down slightly and claimed Hux’s lips for his own once more.

Ben’s kiss had been soft, chaste even, but the response from Hux was anything but.  Hux gripped Ben’s hair with his right hand, and he guided Ben into something that burned.  Hux’s little licks against Ben’s full lips were received with little whimpers that turned into deep, guttural groans when Ben opened his mouth and Hux’s tongue slipped inside.

Hux was trying to lose himself in Ben’s kisses.  He was trying to drown his thoughts of Starkiller Base in the taste of Ben, and Ben wanted nothing more than to help him.  Ben’s entire world had become the red haired man that was melting beneath his hands, and Ben wanted to become the only star in Hux’s galaxy.

Eventually, and perhaps inevitably once again, it was Hux that pulled away. Only this time, Hux only broke the kiss so that he could kiss along Ben’s jawline, before making his way down Ben’s thick neck.  He nipped a path down, his teeth sharp against Ben’s smooth skin, but each piece of skin Hux bit was quickly soothed with a tongue and lips that Ben knew he’d dream about for years to come.  

When Hux reached the base of Ben’s neck, he said the first words either of them had uttered since Ben had entered his cell.  “Is it over yet?”

It took Ben’s foggy brain a few seconds to catch up with what Hux had asked, as Hux had yanked the collar of his shirt to one side so that he could lick a trail along Ben’s collarbone.  “You mean Starkiller Base?”

“Hm-mm,” Hux hummed against Ben’s skin.

“No.  The Resistance fleet had just come out of hyperspeed when I left the command center,” Ben replied, his voice breathier and thicker than usual.

Hux’s mouth stilled, but didn’t move.  When he spoke, his lips brushed against Ben’s shoulder.  “I was hoping that it would be over already.”

Ben placed one of his big hands on the back of Hux’s head and brushed his nose against the loose strands of hair that covered Hux’s ear.  Hux still smelled as bland as everyone else on the base, but somehow, on Hux, it was intoxicating. “Not yet. The First Order wasn’t prepared for the attack, but I’m sure they won’t make it easy.”

“I should hope not,” Hux sneered.

Ben didn’t want to talk about the battle.  He didn’t want to speak to Hux about anything that would put them on opposite sides of a war, not when they were so in sync in so many other ways.  He decided to change the subject. “What did you think of the book I gave you?”

“Idealistic nonsense.”

Ben smiled.  Of course Hux would think that.  “Did you finish it?”

“Yes, but only because I skipped some of the most melodramatic and pointless sections.”

The lie was easy to spot, even without the Force.  Hux had read it cover to cover. Every single word.  “You didn’t find it inspiring? How the lowly soldier from an abusive family was able to change the fate of the galaxy and win the heart of the fair prince?”

“I thought that it was badly written, with obvious plot twists and plot holes large enough to fly a space destroyer through.  I can’t understand why you liked it so much, Ren.”

Although they were basically the same height, Ben marvelled at how naturally Hux’s head rested on his shoulder.  He could feel Hux’s ridiculously long eyelashes flutter against his skin, and Hux seemed just as loathed to move as Ben did.  “C’mon Hux, I was ten years old when I read it for the first time and I was waiting for my prince.”

“I thought you were the prince,” Hux said, his left hand rising to brush against Ben’s temple, as if he was drawing the outline of a crown around Ben’s head.  “Prince Ben,” he whispered.

Ben caught Hux’s hand in his and lowered it to his lips, pressing a simple kiss against Hux’s knuckles.  “Is that the first time you’ve called me Ben?”

“I called you many things when you were my prisoner on the Finalizer, most of them in my head, and most of them insulting.”  Ben rolled his eyes, although he knew Hux wouldn’t see it from his position still on Ben’s shoulder. “You’ll always be Ren to me though.”

Ben lifted Hux’s head with a reverential touch of his fingers and kissed him again.  Whereas their previous kisses had been full of desperation and longing, this one was gentle.  It was just lips against lips, and was the kind of kiss that Ben could lose himself in forever.

The kiss was broken when Hux yawned.

“I’m sorry that my company isn’t more stimulating,” Ben smiled.

“I find your company very stimulating,” said Hux, a smirk crossing his lips, “but waiting for the day that you’re hauled up in front of a biased court and sentenced to death doesn’t result in good sleeping patterns.”

Ben frowned.  For a moment there, he’d managed to forget that there was a world outside of that cell.  For Ben, there had been only Hux and the moment they were currently in. Hux’s future, the attack on Starkiller Base, and even the Force itself had been forgotten and Ben’s world had just been red hair, sharp cheekbones and slightly sneering lips.  Now that Hux had admitted to his tiredness and his worries, Ben could see those stresses and strains etched onto Hux’s youthful face. He looked pallid and drawn, and above all, in need of a good night’s sleep.

“Lie down, Hux.”  Hux didn’t comply with Ben’s request, and when Ben reached out to Hux with the Force, he could sense several reasons why in Hux’s mind.  Hux was still thinking about Starkiller Base of course, but his main reason was that he didn’t want Ben to leave him yet.

Ben knew that he’d be waiting a long time for Hux to admit that though.  “I’m not going anywhere,” Ben added.

Hux still didn’t look entirely happy, but when Ben loosely grabbed Hux by the hips and led him over to the bunk in the corner of the cell, Hux didn’t protest.  He did protest, however, when Ben climbed into the bunk with him. “What do you think you’re doing Ren?”

“Just shut up and lie down,” Ben snapped back as he arranged his long legs into a comfortable position on the narrow bunk.

It took a bit of rearranging as neither of them were small men, but eventually Ben managed to find a position that was comfortable for them both. Hux was still sneering of course, but as his head came to rest on Ben’s broad chest and his hand gripped a little too tightly onto Ben’s shirt, his mind slowly began to calm.

Hux didn’t trust this calmness.  He didn’t like it either. He didn’t like how easy it was to lie there and listen to Ben’s soothing heartbeat beneath his head, or how natural Ben’s arms felt wrapped around him.  He’d never allowed the petty officers he had slept with to stay in his bed afterwards, and this was reminding him why. It would be too easy to get lost in the warmth and contentment he felt when Ben placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head, but he couldn’t allow himself to.  He had to stay sharp and in command, he couldn’t allow his wits to get dulled by how naturally Ben’s body fit next to his.

But maybe, staying there for a little while wouldn’t be so bad?

Ben was aware of the contradictory thoughts that were racing through Hux’s head but he pulled away from them, deciding to give Hux the space and privacy he needed to work through them himself.  Instead, Ben chose to concentrate on his own thoughts, of the reassuring heaviness of the leg Hux had draped over his, and the narrow but sturdy waist underneath his hands. 

Ben turned off the oppressive artificial lighting in the cell with a wave of his hand, and soon the windowless cell was dark enough that he could barely see anything past his nose.  He felt Hux’s fingers move across his chest until they found the open neck of his shirt and there they stayed, Hux’s blunt nails occasionally scratching his skin in a way that set his spine on fire.

Hux’s breathing had slowed but he wasn’t asleep yet.  Not quite. “Do you remember when I told you that you were both my sanity and my destruction?”

“Yes.”

Hux’s eyes fluttered closed and he burrowed his head further onto Ben’s chest.  “Maybe being destroyed by you isn’t as bad as I expected.”

Before Ben had chance to get his thoughts in order enough to respond, Hux had fallen asleep.  Ben lay awake, his own thoughts full of potential futures with Hux that he knew he could never have, but soon enough the warmth of a body next to him began to lull him to sleep too.  It had been too long since he’d slept next to someone, another life ago even, and although he didn’t mean to fall asleep, he couldn’t stop himself.

When Ben awoke a couple of hours later it was because of the vibrations of the comm unit that was in his pants pocket.  He pulled it out, careful not to jostle the still slumbering Hux too much, and blindly poked at the buttons in the dark of the cell until he found the one that lit up the screen.  

His eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the light of the screen, but when they did he saw that the messages were from Rey.

_Starkiller Base has been destroyed._  
_Poe is fine._  
_The fleet is on its way back._  
_You should probably come back to the command center soon._

Ben didn’t want to wake Hux, but if he wanted all of his limbs back he knew he had to.  He switched the lights back on at a low level with the Force and gently tapped Hux on the shoulder.  “Hux, I need to go.”

Ben soon found that Hux wasn’t, surprisingly enough, a morning person. Hux screwed his eyes closed tighter against the light, his nose twitching in a way that Ben thought was unbearably cute, although he’d never tell the General that.  “If you must.”

He managed to pull himself away from Hux, and watched with amusement when Hux flopped straight back onto his stomach and gripped onto the pillow, his eyes quickly shutting again.  Ben considered leaving Hux to sleep for longer as he no doubt needed the extra hours, but he couldn’t leave Hux without telling him the news.

Hux would never forgive him.

Ben knelt next to the bunk and brushed the loose pieces of hair out of Hux’s eyes.  “Hux, it’s over. They destroyed Starkiller Base.”

Hux slowly opened his eyes and looked directly at Ben.  His expression was unreadable, but his mind was a fog of emotions.  “Of course they did. I expected nothing less.”

Although they’d been asleep all wrapped up together only moments earlier, somehow, this felt more intimate to Ben.  Hux’s eyes were still edged with drowsiness, but seemed to stare through Ben at this close a distance, and Ben couldn’t quite stop his fingers from toying with the ends of Hux’s hair. “Will you be okay?”

Hux scoffed and rolled onto his back, brushing Ben’s hand away from his hair in the process.  “Go. Celebrate with your mother and the returning heroes,” Hux sneered. “You can’t become a general without suffering a few losses to your fleet.”

Ben wanted to point out that the loss of Starkiller Base, something Hux had put so much of himself into for several years, was a bit different to losing a TIE fighter or two, but he knew better.  He could sense that Hux needed his space and that Ben’s presence would be little comfort at that moment.

“I’ll come back later.”

Hux didn’t reply, but he did lean into Ben’s touch when Ben stroked his cheek one last time before leaving.  That was enough for Ben.

Ben left the cell, sending a quick message to tell Rey that he was on his way to the command center as the cell door closed behind him.  The closer Ben got to the command center, the more he started to fear what he would find there. He trusted Rey’s messages and wasn’t worried for Poe or for the fleet, but the Force was telling him that some decisions had been made.

And that maybe, he wouldn’t like them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't want to/don't know how to write a big battle scene, then have your POV character sleep through it!
> 
> And I love Finn. I wish the movies had explored how difficult it must have been for him to leave the First Order, even though it was undoubtably the right move for him to make.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's two things I want to point out before this chapter starts
> 
> 1) There's a few things in this that don't match with canon, primarily the firepower of the Galactic Senate's army. This is a canon adjacent fic, so I have changed a few things to fit the story I'm telling.  
> 2) I feel I should take this opportunity to point out that the rating of this fic is explicit :D

The mood in the command center was cautiously jubilant.  The Resistance had undoubtedly scored a major victory against the First Order by destroying its prized weapon, Starkiller Base, before it had chance to fire. They’d also managed to strike a blow to the First Order’s war capabilities as countless TIE fighters and Stormtroopers had been taken out as well.

It wasn’t, however, without price.  Around forty percent of the Resistance fleet that had attacked Starkiller Base had been lost in the process, and Ben knew that Leia, despite her pride at a successful operation, felt every single loss.  Not for the first time that week, Ben was struck with awe at how Leia managed to balance her roles as a war general and that of a mother, for that was how Leia looked at her troops, Ben realized. She wasn’t just the general that was sending them into battle, she was also the mother that was trying to protect them and wished for their safe return.

Ben swiftly made his way through the crowd in the command center once more.  He acknowledged Rey’s smile with a nod but he didn’t go to greet her this time, instead he moved directly to his mother’s side.  Her eyes lost a little of their sadness when she saw him, and Ben brushed away a few wisps of hair that had worked loose from the bun that held the rest of her hair.

He tried to ignore the fact that only moments earlier, those same fingers had ran through the hair of a different general.

“Congratulations,” Ben said to his mother, “the galaxy is a little safer now, thanks to you.”

Leia stepped a little closer to her son, her arm snaking around his waist as she rested a little of her weight against his solid form.  When had she become so weary, and when had her baby boy become so tall? “We couldn’t have done it without you, Ben. General Hux didn’t give the location to the Resistance, he gave it to you.”

Ben didn’t want to talk about Hux’s reasoning, not now.  “Did Poe get the killer shot?”

“Of course he did.”

Ben sighed theatrically.  “He’ll be unbearable when he gets back.”

Leia smiled, although her heart still felt heavy.  “And you’ll congratulate him, just like everybody else will.”

“Of course.”

The consoles in front of Leia started to beep for her attention so Ben took a step back as Leia smiled apologetically and returned to her work.  The last few days had been a revelation for Ben. Since his childhood, Ben had resented Leia for not dedicating enough time to him. He’d seen his stay at the temple as being Leia’s way of getting rid of him, and when he had returned to her and the Resistance, he’d wrapped himself up tight in that childhood resentment and allowed it come between his adult relationship with her.

Despite all of her skills as a diplomat, Leia had never been able to figure out that all Ben had ever wanted from her was honesty.  Instead of showing him her weaknesses and insecurities, she’d presented herself as an in control general and mother, someone all powerful and all knowing that never made mistakes or second guessed herself.  But over the last few days, that facade had slipped and Ben had seen that his mother was just as human, and just as flawed as he was. She’d made mistakes with him as a child, and had struggled to balance her roles as senator, general and mother.

Ben found that he couldn’t hold onto his resentment, anger or bitterness any longer.

When Leia had finished attending to her messages, she turned to Ben one more time.  “We’re going to have an important meeting now. You can stay here with me, or stand with Rey, Finn and Luke.”

He’d never stood next to Leia during a meeting.  He usually stood at the back, or wasn’t present at all.  Ben quickly glanced over at the Resistance members that were busily checking data and writing reports from the battle, and saw a mix of faces.  Some of them looked down upon him, some of them were scared of him, and a few of them usually ignored him. He couldn’t bring himself to stand in front of their judgmental faces, not even at his mother’s side.

Ben gestured over to where Rey, Finn and Luke were standing and Leia nodded in understanding.  The Ben that walked away from her to join his uncle and friends was not the same rage filled boy she’d struggled with all of those years ago.  The more he aged, the more Leia realized that although he’d never be a senator or general like her, or a smooth talking smuggler with more bravado than brains like Han, he was still definitely their son.  Ben was the perfect mix of them both, right down to the inappropriate choices he was making in his love life.

Ben would find his own place in life, Leia knew, and she knew that day was coming soon.

“Okay everyone, if I could have your attention please,” Leia said.  

“Do you know what this is about?” Rey asked Ben when he appeared at her side.  When he confirmed he didn’t, Rey fell as silent as everybody else in the room.

“As you all know, the attack on Starkiller Base was successful, although not without loss.  We owe a great debt to all of those that lost their lives today.” Leia paused for a few moments of reflection, before continuing.  “The remainder of the fleet will be back within a few hours, and now we need to look to the future and what will happen next with the First Order.  Vice-Admiral Holdo?”

Holdo stood up and projected a few images into the center of the room. “Although the destruction of Starkiller Base was a huge blow to the First Order, it was not a death blow.  The star destroyers that were in orbit managed to escape, and it won’t be long before the First Order are able to regroup.  We have believed for sometime that they are aware of the position of this base, and we fear that such a big attack will result in the First Order retaliating strongly.”

“They’d attack the base?” Rey asked quietly.

Finn shrugged his shoulders.  “Maybe. The First Order doesn’t like losing and has a history of crushing planets that oppose it.”

“This base is not secure enough to withstand a full attack from the First Order,” Holdo continued, “and neither is our fleet after our losses today.”

“Then we’ve lost?” Rey asked.

That can’t be right, Ben thought.  The Resistance can’t have destroyed Starkiller Base, only to be destroyed themselves soon after.  There had to be another way… “The Galactic Senate,” he said, “they have an army that’s ten times the size of the Resistance army.”

Luke smiled wryly at Ben’s suggestion, but allowed his sister to explain the plan to the room.

“We need the support of the Galactic Senate,” Leia said.  “Until now, they have refused to accept the truths that we’ve known for years, and have ignored the growing threat from the First Order.  But with the plans from Starkiller Base, and the footage we obtained from the battle of the star destroyers and TIE fighters, they can’t deny what is happening any longer.”

As the command center broke out into whispered excitement at the possibility of finally getting the Senate on board, Ben felt the world shake underneath his feet.  If Leia was going to take the information she had on the First Order to the Galactic Senate, did that mean she was going to take Hux too? Ben knew that the day was going to come, but he wasn’t ready for it.

He doubted he ever would be.

“I’m going to leave for the Senate immediately, and will ask for the Republic army to join us in defeating the First Order once and for all.”

Ben wanted to ask Leia if she was going to take Hux with her, but he didn’t want to ask in front of everyone in the Resistance.  Luckily, he didn’t need to. “Do you want me to come with you to give extra evidence against the First Order?” Finn asked.

“Not at this time, Finn,” Leia replied.  “I don’t entirely trust the Senate. I have suspected for a long time that the First Order has spies at the Senate, and that they have worked to turn the Senate’s eyes away from the First Order’s activities in the Unknown Regions.  I want the Senate to pass a resolution to support us before I risk taking you,” she paused and stared directly at Ben, “or General Hux.”

He had more time with Hux.  That’s all that Ben could think, and his sigh of relief did not go unnoticed by the those stood around him.  Rey nudged him with the point of her elbow and grinned in a way that Ben didn’t entirely want to see from her.

“I’ll be going with Leia,” Luke interjected, “but we should have a little time to talk before she’s ready to leave.  I think she still has to finish packing her robes, and you know how much she loves having a clean pair of robes.”

“Almost as much as you do,” Rey replied, still grinning.

Luke rolled his eyes and gestured for Ben and Rey to follow him out of the command center.  They left Finn behind, still stood in front of the wall of lights representing the X-Wing fighters, and Ben tried to ignore it when he saw Finn gently trace around Poe’s fighter with his index finger.  Ben hoped they’d be happy together, truly, but the openness and acceptance of their relationship still stung a little.

The three of them sat down around a table in one of the recreational areas that were scattered around the base.  The usually noisy room was silent and empty, and Ben knew that they wouldn’t be disturbed for the foreseeable future.  He had so many questions for Luke, and he could tell by the way Rey was sitting on the edge of her chair like a rathtar about to strike that she had just as many.

Ben felt that the best way to go, was to dive right in.  “What do you know about Supreme Leader Snoke?”

Luke’s back stiffened, but his blue eyes didn’t falter as they held Ben in their fierce gaze.  “Just rumors and half-truths. I’ve never met him, but your mother did once,” Luke paused before adding, “as did you, Ben.”

“Do you remember that?” Rey asked Ben. 

“No.”  Surely Ben would remember meeting someone as unique looking as Snoke?  He looked to his uncle. “When was this?”

“You were just a baby, Ben.  No more than two years old. The Senate were holding meetings with some representatives from the Outer Rim planets, and Snoke attended in the guise of one of these representatives.”

“But he wasn’t representing anyone?” asked Rey.

“No, he wasn’t,” Luke confirmed.  “It’s my belief that he was only there to speak with Leia.”

None of this was making any sense to Ben.  “What did he want with Mom?”

“At the time, nobody knew who Leia’s true family was.  Nobody knew that I was her brother, and nobody knew that Anakin, Darth Vader, was her father. But, I believe that Snoke knew.”

“He wanted her because of her Skywalker blood,” Ben deduced.

“Yes.  I think that Snoke was looking for an apprentice, and that Leia might have been what he was looking for.  Although Leia is strong in the Force, she’s completely untrained and has no desire for power. She was not the apprentice he wanted.”

Rey reached across the table and took Ben’s hand into hers.  “Instead, Snoke found Ben.”

“Two year old Ben Solo,” Luke began, “naturally strong in not only the light side of the Force, but also the dark side.  You were perfect. He was able to carve out a space in your mind where the dark side lived and stayed there, watching and whispering in the hope that you’d fall and join him.”

“But you never did,” Rey said in awe.

Ben took several deep breaths before he spoke again.  “You knew about this when I was at the temple?” he asked Luke.

“No, I didn’t.  I suspected that there was more to your rages than I could sense, but I didn’t know what it was.  It wasn’t until that vision we had a couple of days ago that the pieces fit together.”

“I don’t understand how that vision explained all of this,” Rey said, and honestly, neither did Ben.  Luke had never heard those voices that were in his head, so how did he know that they were Snoke?

“Think back to that vision, both of you,” Luke instructed.  “We saw Snoke, yes, but we saw another figure that was fighting for him.  He was all dressed in black, with a red lightsaber that was spitting fire.”

Suddenly, it made sense to Ben.  He thought back to what Hux had told him during the interrogation that never was.  “Hux told me about a Force vision of Snoke’s. Snoke said that the First Order would get its Darth Vader, and that Hux would make it happen.”

Rey squeezed Ben’s hand.  She’d grown so strong, both physically and mentally, in the years since he’d left her behind.  “So that figure in black would have been you?”

“Yes.”  Ben closed his eyes and flashes of death and destruction that would never be ran through his mind.  He opened his eyes to the soft faces of his uncle and friend. “If I’d have gone through with the interrogation, it would have happened.”

“Why didn’t you go through with it?” Luke asked.  “What made General Hux tell you?”

Ben didn’t want to admit how weak he’d been at that moment.  He didn’t want to tell them how the dark side had nearly won, and how he’d nearly fell, but he felt that he had to.  There’d been too many secrets and lies in his family - enough was enough.

“When Hux told me about Snoke’s vision, I felt the darkness in a way I hadn’t felt it for years.  I nearly lost control of it. I was going to tear into Hux’s mind with no remorse or caution. I don’t know how, but Hux knew what was happening to me and he told me the location of Starkiller Base so that I wouldn’t lose myself.  It was Hux that saved me.”

Luke fell silent and Ben allowed him his peace.  Ben knew that his old master was thinking through what Ben had just told him about Snoke’s vision and how Hux had saved him, instead of damning him like Snoke had believed he would.  Whereas Rey… sweet Rey. She was looking at Ben with the type of awed admiration that had been permanently etched on her face during her first lessons at the temple with Luke.

She was impressed with his ability to withstand the dark side, no doubt, but she was impressed with something else too.  Ben almost laughed when he realized that the sparkle in her eyes was due to Hux saving him.

At least one person was on their side.

Eventually, Luke spoke.  “I sense that although your darkness hasn’t been defeated, it’s unlikely to pose a threat again anytime soon.”

Luke looked like he had more to say, but he was interrupted by the incessant beeps of both Ben’s and Rey’s comms.  They both had the same message, a rather short and to the point order from Leia to bring Luke to the shuttle bay immediately.

“Let’s go,” Luke said as he stood up, “you don’t want to keep Leia waiting.”

Ben felt that there was still more to talk about, but just like his uncle, he knew better than to keep his mother waiting so he followed Luke and Rey to the landing bays, while doing his best to ignore how Rey kept sneaking sly glances at him.  She was dying to talk to him about Hux, and he was just as eager to avoid that conversation altogether.

Leia was already waiting for them when they arrived, stood next to her shuttle with the impatient air of a princess that had been kept waiting for too long.  When he saw her standing there in that way, Ben suddenly felt like he was six years old again and about to be chastised for not putting his toys away quickly enough before dinner.  

Rey immediately went to Leia to offer her best wishes and goodbyes, leaving Ben to speak with his uncle.  “Good luck,” Ben said, shaking Luke’s hand. “Please take care of her, especially if there are First Order spies around.”

“Leia is more capable than even she knows, but I will.”  Luke’s face softened, and Ben was reminded of the man Luke had been before he became Ben’s teacher, and later Ben’s perceived nemesis.  Now, he was just Ben’s uncle again. “You should drop by the temple sometime. I’m sure you have much to teach my students.”

“What can I teach them?  I’m no jedi.”

“No, you’re not, and I don’t think you were ever meant to be one.  The Force isn’t just black and white, light and dark, Ben. There’s a big area in the middle that I think you understand better than anyone.  You’ve been places I never have, and I would very much like to learn from you too.”

Ben didn’t even attempt to hide his surprise.  When he had been at the temple with Luke, he had felt like he couldn’t do anything right, and had soon given up even trying.  His meditation was never calm enough, his fighting too aggressive and his forms too sloppy. Nothing he had done had ever seemed good enough.  

Now here he was, seven years later, stood in front of his old Master once again not as a student, but as an equal.  

It gave him a perspective on those years at the temple that he had been sorely lacking in the past.  Luke had pushed him and Luke had criticized him yes, but Ben had needed that guidance and that firm hand.  Luke had not censured him because of a vendetta or through fear, but out of concern for a young man that had been spiralling out of control.  Ben could see that now. He just wished that the Ben that had destroyed Luke’s house once could have seen that too.

“Maybe I will drop by one day.  Then I can apologize properly for blowing up your house,” Ben said meekly.

Luke laughed and took a step back, clapping Ben on the back as he did so. “Let the past die, Ben. You’ve moved on, and you’re a far stronger man for it.”

Ben wasn’t entirely sure if he agreed with the sentiment, but he nodded in agreement anyway.  As Luke moved away to say his goodbyes to Rey, Leia moved to take his place in front of her son.  

“Safe travels, Mom,” Ben said, hugging Leia loosely.  “I hope the Senate listen to you this time.”

Leia tightened the hug.  “Me too. They’ve ignored the threat from the First Order for too long, and look what nearly happened.”

“You stopped it from happening, though.”

“We did,” Leia said, taking Ben’s hands in hers, “you got the plans and the location, Ben.  The mother in me is still furious at you for getting yourself kidnapped like that and risking your life, but the general in me will be eternally thankful.”

“Can it always be the general that talks to me?” Ben replied, only half joking.

“I’m afraid not,” Leia smiled.  “Whatever actions you take, there are always risks and effects on others, Ben.  But sometimes, you need to ignore those and take the opportunities that present themselves to you.”

Ben had the distinct impression that Leia wasn’t just speaking hypothetically, but was trying to impart some important piece of advice that he would need later.  Had she seen something through the Force? Leia’s Force powers were untrained and unfocused and therefore unreliable, but Leia had always had a habit of occasionally seeing or doing something that not even Ben or Luke could achieve.  

“You only answer to yourself Ben.  Do what you have to do. May the Force be with you.”

Leia reached up on tiptoes to kiss Ben on the cheek, and then she was gone in a flurry of gray robes.  Ben and Rey watched as the Skywalker twins boarded their shuttle and took off, ready to face the Galactic Senate in the hope of convincing them to join the battle against the First Order.

**

Hux was still in his bunk when Ben returned to the cell.  He didn’t appear to have moved much, only instead of being flat on his stomach as he had been when Ben had left, he was now curled onto his side and facing the wall.  Ben could tell that Hux was asleep but only lightly, dozing maybe, and he quickly made his way across the cell and sat down on the bunk with none of the nerves or trepidation he’d shown earlier.

As expected, the slight dip of the thin mattress under Ben’s weight was enough to disturb Hux, but he seemed reluctant to let go of the sleep he’d managed to have.  Hux really was exhausted, even after the sound sleep he’d had when lying next to Ben and the fitful dozing he’d done since Ben had left.

Ben broke out into a wild smile when he noticed that Hux was curled around Ben’s book.  “I thought you hated that book and thought it was,” Ben paused and then adopted his best Imperial accent “‘idealistic nonsense.’”

“If all you have to say is inane rubbish like that, then you can leave now, Ren.”

Hux hadn’t looked at Ben since he’d entered the cell, and after Ben’s comment he seemed even less inclined to.  Hux closed his eyes again and burrowed into the thin pillow even more. 

“I came here because I thought you might want to know what was going to happen now that the operation to destroy Starkiller Base had finished.  But if you don’t want to know, I can leave...”

Hux opened his eyes, but continued to try and hide in his pillow.  “Are you this insufferable with everyone or am I special?”

“I’m like this with everyone,” Ben grinned.  “But that doesn’t mean you aren’t special.”

Hux blushed slightly but made no other visible reaction to Ben’s comment. He did, however, roll over until he was lying on his right side and facing Ben.  He shoved the book underneath the mattress and shuffled back as far as he could until his back was pressed against the wall.  There was space next to Hux now, and Ben could tell from the way Hux looked at him, and then pointedly down at the mattress, that Hux had made that space for Ben.

Ben lay down on his side so that he faced Hux, the narrowness of the single bunk ensuring that they were almost nose to nose.  Ben tried to calm his racing heart when it was Hux that instigated the first touch between them by draping his left arm over Ben’s waist and working his right arm underneath Ben’s neck so that he could pull the dark haired man into an even closer embrace.  The cell lights were on full strength and Ben could see them reflected in Hux’s eyes, washing the color out until they looked almost translucent.

Hux pressed his forehead against Ben’s.  “So, has my fate been decided yet?”

Ben almost didn’t want to answer.  The feel of Hux’s thin yet strong arms wrapped around his back was making him feel warm and safe in a way that he hadn’t felt in years.  He brushed his thumb over the hair that still covered Hux’s jawline and wondered if, given the option, Hux would shave off the beard or not.  Ben half hoped he wouldn’t, as he was beginning to like it.

“Leia is on her way to the Senate right now with the Starkiller Base plans, and the footage filmed during the battle.  She’s going to show them everything - Starkiller, the star destroyers, the TIE fighters - and ask them to join us in fighting the First Order.”

“Smart move from General Organa.  I’d expect no less,” Hux said flatly.  He then paused, and his brow furrowed as he thought through Ben’s words one more time.  “She’s already on her way?”

“Yes.  I just saw her off.”

“She didn’t take me to the Senate.”

Ben wasn’t sure if Hux was making a statement or asking a question, but either way, it was obvious that Hux could barely believe what was happening.  Hux had thought that his only leverage had been the location of Starkiller Base, and now that leverage had gone, he had convinced himself that his end in the shape of a fixed trial in front of the Senate would be swift and immediate.  

Hux had prepared himself for that fate, and had even come to terms with it, in his own way.  He had decided that no matter what happened, he would see it all through with his head held high and with his pride intact.  The Resistance could take Starkiller Base from him, the First Order could take his rank, and the Senate could take his life, but nobody could take his pride.

The man in his arms also had something of Hux’s, but that was something Hux had given.

“Why didn’t she take me?  She should have.”

Ben kissed Hux before answering.  It was just a light kiss and over in a heartbeat, but it still set Ben alight.  “She thinks that there are First Order spies in the Senate. She wants to make sure that it’s secure before she risks taking you.”

Hux kissed Ben back, only Hux’s kiss was longer and more insistent.  He sucked on Ben’s plush lower lip and worried it between his teeth before letting go.  “Your mother is a wise woman, Ren.”

“Can we stop talking about my mother when you’re trying to kiss me?”

Hux laughed then, and it was a laugh that Ben hadn’t heard before.  It was a genuine laugh full of mirth and amusement instead of condescension and superiority and Ben quickly decided it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard.  He wanted to hear it again and again and again until the sound was etched into his brain and never likely to leave.

Hux kept on kissing him, his movements becoming more desperate with every passing second.  So many things had been taken from Hux over the last few days but he had Ben, and as Hux licked into Ben’s hot mouth with his tongue, he refused to let Ben go.  Ben’s kisses were addictive, those plush lips felt so good against Hux’s thinner ones and even the occasional bump from Ben’s nose was endearing in its awkwardness.

It wasn’t long before Hux had Ben on his back again, and as Hux swung one thin, long leg over Ben’s hips so that he could straddle him more effectively, Ben took the opportunity to run his hands over the body he’d had so many dreams about.  Hux was slender but solid underneath his hands, and Hux moaned into his mouth when Ben’s hands found his ass and gave the flesh there a squeeze. 

As Hux rolled his hips down, Ben could feel the hard line of Hux’s dick pressing into Ben’s own.  Ben chased that hardness and gripped onto Hux’s ass more firmly, rolling his own hips up as much as he could with a squirming general pinning him down.  Hux’s hands were in his hair, pulling at the sweat damp strands as Hux controlled the pace of their kisses, Hux’s knees were bracketing his hips and stopping him from moving, and Hux’s crotch was rubbing against his in the most delicious of ways.  

It was almost too much for Ben to bear.  It really had been too long since he’d done anything like this, and he’d never done it with anyone that had staked out a place in his heart and mind quite like Hux had.  And Hux did have a place there, Ben knew. He’d been fighting against what his feelings for Hux might mean for so long, but with Hux now nipping at his neck and working over that spot below his jawline that always made him shiver, he couldn’t deny it anymore.

By now, he was pretty sure that he was hopelessly in love with the General, and that, depending on how things went at the Senate, this might be the only chance he got to show Hux that.  Similar thoughts seemed to be flowing through Hux’s mind as Hux, always the first to pull away from affection and eager to send Ben away when all he wanted was for him to stay, was not going to let Ben go either.

Hux’s right hand left its home in Ben’s hair and ran down the dark haired man’s body.  He ran his fingers over Ben’s pronounced collar bones, the edges of which poked out from his soft, cream shirt.  His palm ran over Ben’s muscled chest, his thumb catching on a hardened nipple and the deep groan it elicited from Ben’s mouth traveled straight to Hux’s cock.  Ben knew he’d be making more of those noises before Hux was done.

Hux tugged at the bottom of Ben’s shirt and pulled it out of his pants, giving him access to Ben’s flat stomach.  There was a dark trail of hair leading south from Ben’s navel that made Hux’s mouth water, and he was soon tracing it with his fingernails, pushing his fingertips beneath Ben’s belt line to reach skin that his eyes were not yet privy to.

Ben watched as Hux sat up, his ass resting on Ben’s thighs, before tapping a little rhythm on the metal buckle of Ben’s belt.  He was asking permission, Ben realized, and Ben swallowed nervously before nodding his head.

Hux wasted little time then, his long nimble fingers swiftly unfastening Ben’s belt and then the buttons on his pants.  Ben found that he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Hux, and why would he want to when the General was flushed red, his lips were swollen and his eyes were staring back at Ben with a hunger that took Ben’s breath away.

Hux then started on the belt and fly of his own pants, and as Ben traced patterns upon Hux’s thighs he idly realized that they were wearing the same pants.  They were both standard Resistance issue, and Ben couldn’t help but wonder how much different the scene would have looked if Hux had still been in his perfectly pressed and fitted First Order uniform instead of the ratty Resistance clothes he wore.  He stopped thinking about things as irrelevant as clothes when Hux reached into his briefs and pulled Ben’s hard cock out.

Ben’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as Hux wrapped his hand around him and wrung a groan out of him with two firm strokes.  That groan was all it took for Hux, as he quickly pulled his own cock out and was then back lying atop Ben, kissing him deeply as he took both cocks in hand.

There was no finesse or gentleness in how Hux’s hand was working them both, only a desperation to see things to their end.  Hux kissed him again, the long open mouthed kisses from before replaced by short nips and bites against Ben’s lips that missed more times than they hit.  Ben had never dreamed that his cold, distant general could burn as frantically as Hux was currently doing, but he relished Hux’s fire and desire for him.

He just, however, wanted it to last a little longer than Hux seemingly did.

Ben worked his right hand between them and placed it over the hand that Hux was still stroking their cocks with.  If everything was going to fall apart soon, if this was going to be the only chance they had, then Ben wanted to feel and savor every second for as long as he could.  He slowed Hux’s pace and closed his eyes as the feel of Hux’s cock pressed against his swarmed through his senses. Hux’s mouth fell away from his and instead Hux pressed their faces together, side by side, his sharp ragged breaths falling directly over Ben’s sensitive ears.

This was better.  Ben could feel the trigger worn calluses on Hux’s fingers whenever they stroked over Ben’s most sensitive skin, and he was sure that Hux could feel the hard skin on his palms from the hours of lightsaber training.  Hux’s hips were beginning to move too, his entire lower back and body rolling against Ben in a movement so sinful yet graceful that it took Ben’s breath away. Ben’s left hand dipped below the pants that were barely hanging onto Hux’s ever moving hips until they found the smooth, bare flesh of Hux’s ass.  He squeezed a little, encouraging Hux to keep moving, and was rewarded with a breathy exhale of his name.

“Ren…”

Despite Ben slowing things down a little from Hux’s desperate pace, he knew that the combination of the hands around his cock, Hux’s hips against his and the now near constant moans being directly delivered into his ear meant he wouldn’t last much longer.  Hux’s hips were starting to fault in their smooth rhythm too, and he could feel wetness on his hands that showed how close they both were.

Ben refused to lose himself entirely to the heat coursing through his veins and turned his head to the side so that he could see Hux properly.  Hux’s chin was on his shoulder and his forehead resting against the pillow, but Ben could still see Hux’s face. He looked thoroughly wrecked and it was the most beautiful sight that Ben had ever seen.  Hux’s mouth was hanging open, his lips forming a perfect, swollen pink circle as his breath came out in loud, ragged gasps. His eyes were shut, his long pale lashes flickering slightly when a particular clever twist of Ben’s hand made Hux’s hips grind down harder.

Ben tried to commit everything to memory, every sight, every touch, every smell.  Hux was slowly unraveling on top of him and Ben wasn’t far behind him.

It was, in the end, Hux that unraveled first.  His hips stilled as his cock emptied onto their joined hands and he bit Ben’s shoulder in an attempt to muffle the long groan that wanted to tear its way out of his throat.  Hux’s entire body seemed to shudder with the force of his orgasm and Ben couldn’t hold back his own any longer. Unlike Hux he made no attempt to remain silent and his deep moan seemed to echo around the small and sparsely decorated cell.

When Ben came back to himself, Hux was staring at him.  The General said nothing and merely studied Ben like he was a puzzle Hux was trying to solve.  It was hard for Ben to get any sense of what Hux was feeling when the lingering effects of his orgasm could still be felt, but maybe that was for the best.  Let Hux keep his thoughts to himself. Ben smiled a smile borne of satisfaction, and when Hux returned it, Ben knew that whatever Hux was thinking, it was okay.  

Hux climbed off both Ben and the bunk and crossed the short space of the cell to the sink so that he could wash his hands.  He seemed slightly unsteady on his feet still, Ben noted, and Ben couldn’t help but feel a rush of pride and fulfillment at how affected Hux still was.  He was no better, of course, but knowing that he’d done that to the usually poised and controlled redhead was better than any victory in battle.

When Hux came back to the bunk his hands were not only clean, but he’d also straightened out his clothing and fastened his pants back up.  Ben was sad to see that Hux had smoothed himself out again so quickly, but Hux seemed to be in no hurry to see Ben pulled back together again as he sat on the bunk next to the still reclining Ben and slowly dragged a wet towel over Ben’s now soft dick.  Ben was still feeling sensitive and every movement of the rough towel made him gasp, but he didn’t ask Hux to stop. 

Hux was watching him with soft eyes that were crinkled at the edges, and Ben knew that now he’d had a little taste of life with Hux, he wouldn’t be able to give it up.  He had thought that when the time came for Hux to be sent to the Senate he’d be able to let go, but now he knew how wrong that assumption had been. He wouldn’t let anyone take Hux from him.  

No one.

Hux threw the soiled towel onto the floor before carefully tucking Ben back into his pants and fastening them up again, his fingers just as swift when fastening a belt as they had been in undoing one.  The redhead’s mind was still a blank slate that Ben couldn’t get a handle on, and as Hux continued to do nothing more than stare at him, Ben started to feel nervous. Would Hux kick him out now? Was Hux beginning to regret what had just happened between them?

Despite his worries, Ben couldn’t help but yawn.  Sex always made him sleepy, and Hux’s bunk was surprisingly comfortable.

“Sit up.”

Hux’s voice was firm and left little room for argument, and Ben ignored the shiver that ran down his spine when he complied with the order without thought.  Ben watched as Hux stood up, grabbed the pillow that Ben had been lying on and placed it against the side wall. Hux sat on the bed, with his back against the wall, and his legs stretched out in the place that the pillow once was.  Hux said nothing, but he eased Ben back down to the bed with a gentle hand.

Ben couldn’t say that Hux’s thighs were more comfortable underneath his head than the pillow had been, but there was something about lying there with his head in Hux’s lap that made it the most relaxing thing he’d ever experienced.  Maybe it was the hand resting over his heart, the hand idly playing with his hair, or just the fact that it was Hux.

“Go to sleep if you’re tired, Ren,” Hux said softly.

Ben reached out with the Force.  The base was calm, there were some people monitoring communications and processing damage reports still in the command center, but a greater number were taking the few hours before the remaining fleet arrived back as a chance to sleep.  Even Rey was napping, although Ben could feel Finn’s nervous energy still there in the command center, and still waiting for Poe to return. He reached out further, to his mother and uncle, and sensed that they were rapidly approaching Hosnian Prime and the home of the Galactic Senate.

This was a period of downtime after the action of the operation on Starkiller Base, and there was nothing that Ben could do.  The base was waiting for the fleet to return, and Luke and Leia had their own task to perform. With everything being so quiet and calm, Ben knew that he could sleep a little.  

Ben closed his eyes and thought of nothing but the fingertips gently carding through his hair.

**

Ben awoke to the familiar feeling of the Force prickling underneath his skin. If there was only one useful thing that Luke had taught him, it was how to sleep with the Force guarding him.  It worked as an alarm system, it was a part of his mind that remained conscious and ready for any threat that came his way.

Only it wasn’t a threat that the Force had alerted him to.  It was Hux. Hux was still toying with Ben’s hair, his fingers playing with the silky strands in a way that was soothing to both of them.  He was, however, talking too.

“You’ve taken everything from me, Ren.  If I hadn’t have met you, I would still be the highest ranking general in the First Order, the commander of its flagship, and would be overseeing the final days of Starkiller Base’s construction.  Then you,” Hux spat, “came along, kidnapped me from my own ship and made me destroy Starkiller myself.

“I should hate you,” Hux continued.  “I should kill you for what you’ve done to me.  I’ve killed men for far less.”

Ben kept his eyes closed and tried to remain still when the hand that was on his chest slowly moved higher until it was hovering over his neck.  He felt Hux’s fingers on his Adam’s apple, and then Hux’s entire hand softly wrapped around his throat. He waited for the pressure, for the crushing feel of Hux’s hand tightening around his windpipe and crushing the breath from him, but it never came.

“But I can’t.  You’ve ruined my life, Ren, but I can’t bring myself to ruin yours.  This would be so much easier if I could at least hate you, but I can’t even do that.  Instead you’ve crawled beneath my skin and somehow, I’ve fallen…” Hux paused. “You’re awake, aren’t you?”

Ben opened his eyes.  “Sorry.”

Hux removed his hand from Ben’s throat and instead raised it higher, his fingers now tracing the edges of Ben’s nose instead.  “Your face is ridiculous.”

Ben chuckled.  “You seem to like it.”

Hux simply huffed as he moved onto Ben’s cheekbones.  

Just as Hux’s gentle touches had started to work their magic again and began to lull Ben back into sleep, a piercing sound echoed throughout the cell and the base.

“What’s that noise?” Hux asked.

Ben reached out with the Force again and saw not only frantic action in the command center, but the shadows of First Order star destroyers hanging over the base.  As expected, the First Order did know that the Resistance base was at D’Qar, and they were here.

“It’s the emergency warning.  The First Order fleet is here,” Ben explained.

Ben quickly stood up.  He had to get to the command center to see how he could help.  Hux seemed to understand this as he said nothing, but Ben could feel the worry and concern radiating from the redhead.  If the base was attacked, would the cells withstand the firepower of the First Order? Even if they did and the First Order landed at the base, if they found him here, Hux knew he’d be killed for giving away the location of Starkiller Base.

Ben unclipped the lightsaber he always carried from his belt.  “I won’t let them take you, Hux. The First Order, the Senate, the Resistance…” Ben ignited his lightsaber.  “I’ll fight them all.”

The blue from Ben’s lightsaber reflected in his eyes, bathing the brown with vivid blue fire.  “I’ll be back for you.”

Before Hux could respond, Ben was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for all of your kudos and comments! They give me life!
> 
> Just one more chapter and an epilogue to go and it's all finished.
> 
> Here's some [lovely art](http://ninpotato.tumblr.com/post/175445520338/soooo-chapter-15-of-rosensilences-smuggler) of a scene from this chapter from the wonderful Nin ❤️


	16. Chapter 16

After leaving Hux’s cell, Ben double checked that the cell was locked correctly.  Then he checked again. Then he took his lightsaber to the electronic panel besides the door until it was lying around his feet in pieces, rendering the electronic unlocking system useless and the cell door permanently locked.  It would take either an AT-AT walker blasting through the walls of the cell to open it now, or a powerful Force user to wrench open the door. 

Content that he had done all that he could to ensure Hux would remain safely locked in his cell regardless of what happened, Ben quickly left the cell block area.

As Ben ran through the winding corridors of the base, he could hear dull thuds echoing around him.  It was the First Order’s heavy artillery firing on them, but thankfully the base’s shields were so far withstanding the barrage. It would only be a matter of time before the shields were disabled though, Ben knew, but hopefully they would last long enough for a miracle.

He could also hear the distant, but distinct roar of TIE fighters overhead, and the equally distinct noise of X-Wings engaging them in battle.  The Resistance fleet must have returned while he was asleep, and Ben wondered how the pilots were holding up. They’d only just come out of a fierce battle, and now they’d flown straight into another one.  Had they even had time to refuel their fighters, let alone themselves? Ben reached out and he could feel Poe leading the charge, his adrenaline pumping and voice sure as he called out commands to his squadron and his droid.  BB-8 was working hard on fixing the accumulating damage Poe’s X-Wing was taking, and underneath his bravado, Poe’s own tiredness and mental damage was accumulating just as rapidly.

If Poe made it back in one piece, Ben was going to buy him a bottle of the best whiskey Corellia had to offer, and was going to apologize for every bad thought he’d ever had about him.  Ben might even apologize to the droid, if it didn’t run over his feet before he had chance.

Ben was so preoccupied with worrying about Poe, that he didn’t notice the furry wall stood before him until he ran headfirst into it.

“...Chewie?”

Before Ben had chance to pick himself off the floor, he found himself being lifted back to his feet by a pair of strong, and furry arms.  The wookie was surprisingly gentle with how he picked Ben up, but that was soon contrasted by how fiercely he was pulled into a hug. Ben felt like his bones were going to crack and as he had a mouthful of Chewbacca’s fur, he couldn’t voice his discomfort.

“Alright, Chewie, let the poor kid go, he’s turning blue.”

Chewie took a step back to reveal a graying man with a roguish smile and eyes that were always twinkling with mischief and trouble.  Other than for holocalls on unstable lines, Ben hadn’t seen his father in six months and although he had often gone for far longer without seeing Han as a child, Ben had never been as glad to see him as he was in that moment.

Ben wasn’t sure who was more surprised when he embraced his father - Han or himself.

It took a couple of seconds for the shock to wear off, but Han wrapped his arms around his son and tried to think back to the last time they’d embraced like this.  Was it before Ben had been sent off to Luke’s temple? Could it really have been that long ago? As a boy, Han and Ben had been so close. Leia had been busy all of the time with her duties at the Senate, and Han had, despite his misgivings, eagerly taken on the role as Ben’s main caregiver.  He hadn’t known what he was doing and had been forever scared of letting Ben down, but somehow he’d made it work.

Ben had wanted to be a pilot then.  He’d followed Han around, mimicking the sounds of the Falcon as he played with his toy fighters and whenever he’d seen the Falcon itself, his big brown eyes had filled with wonder and determination that one day, he’d fly it just like his father did.  

Then the Force had awakened in Ben, and as the years passed it had taken over more and more of their lives as a family.  As the Force had grown in Ben, the distance between Ben and Han had also grown until they had become practically strangers.  Ben no longer wanted to run after Han with his toy fighters, and didn’t seem to want to do anything at all. Han had had no idea how to reach his son anymore, and feeling like a failure, had ran back to the only thing he’d always been good at.

That Ben was hugging him now, despite twenty years of failings, was more than Han could have hoped for.

“Everything alright, Ben?” Han asked, before adding “other than for the Empire wannabes up there firing on us, that is.”

Ben stepped out of the hug and looked at his father and honorary uncle. “I’m just glad to see you. When did you get here?”

“Right before the party started,” Han responded.  “It was a close thing though, they popped out of hyperspace right after us.”  Chewbacca started growling but Han cut him off. “I had it completely under control, Chewie. The First Order were never going to get the drop on us.”

“Why are you here?  Mom’s on her way to the Galactic Senate.”

“Yeah, I know.  She messaged me but we were already on our way here.  We’ve finished our mission so I was hoping to relax a little before Leia sent us out again.”  The dull thud of the First Order’s cannons hitting the base’s shields rang through the corridor.  “No such luck, huh?”

On Chewbacca’s request, Ben started leading them to the command center. “Can you tell me about your mission now?”

“The short story is that we were chasing down shipments of quintessence that the First Order were smuggling around for some reason that was unknown until you got those plans.  Good job on that by the way, kid. I’m proud of you.”

Ben flushed with embarrassment at the praise.  “What’s the long story?”

Han and Chewie looked at each other.  Chewie shrugged his shoulders and strode into the command center, leaving father and son alone.  “Well, we might have picked up a few things along the way that might, possibly, potentially, make some money for us somewhere.”  Han paused. “Don’t tell your mother about that.”

Despite the desperate situation the Resistance base found themselves in, Ben couldn’t help but smile.  This was how it had been when he was a kid - Han and Ben conspiring together while Leia pretended that she didn’t know what they were up to.  It made Ben feel warm inside, but it also made him ache for all of the years they’d missed.

As Han and Ben walked into the command center and made their way over to Vice-Admiral Holdo in the center of the room, Ben noticed how so many of the busy Resistance members took time from their important tasks to salute or smile at Han.  General Solo was still a well respected and legendary figure amongst the veterans and rookies of the Resistance, and they were all quick to pay their respect to him. Han seemed oblivious to it, and was instead focusing all of his attention on Ben.

They were a few steps away from Holdo when Han asked the question Ben knew he’d been dying to ask since their encounter in the corridor.  “How’s the Falcon?”

“Fine.  I fixed up most things, but the gun tracking system probably needs an extra pair of hands.”

“When this is all over we’ll get that fixed,” Han said, coming to stand next to Chewie in front of Holdo.  “Me, you and Chewie.”

“General Solo, Chewbacca, I’m glad that you made it here safely,” Holdo said.  “We need all of the hands we can get.”

“Sorry I couldn’t have come at a better time,” Han drawled, “but me and Chewie have been busting up Imperials for over thirty years, and we’re ready to do it again.”

Chewbacca roared his agreement and lifted his bowcaster into the air.

“Although the First Order can do a lot of damage to the base, they can’t actually destroy it from the air,” Holdo explained, “so they’ll need to land and infiltrate the base that way.”

“Where are they likely to land?” Ben asked.

Holdo pointed to the map in front of her.  “The most likely areas are on the landing bays to the west and the east.  They’re the biggest and clearest, and will give them a straight run into the base.”

“Do we still have those thermal detonators?” Han asked Chewbacca. When the wookie confirmed they did, Han smiled. “How about we plant a few around these landing bays and give those First Order boys a proper welcome as soon as they step foot onto the base?”

“General Solo, you and Chewbacca can take the west bay.  There are already ground troops stationed there, ready for your command and action.” Holdo then turned to Ben. “And Ben, I’d like you to go to the east bay. Rey and Finn are there already, but having another strong Force user should help immensely.”

The two Solos and the wookie quickly acknowledged their understanding and agreement before shaking hands one last time, and then separating into different directions.

**

Ben quickly made his way to the east bay of the base, his swift footsteps almost matching the never ending dull thuds of the First Order’s cannons. Holdo had seemed certain that the base couldn’t be fully taken from the air, but Ben didn’t share that certainty. He’d seen the First Order’s heavy artillery up close when he’d escaped the Finalizer and found it hard to believe that the shields on D’Qar and the concrete that surrounded him could withstand them forever.

One thing he was certain of, however, was that the First Order would try to land and take the base that way.  The First Order would no doubt want some high profile captives that they could get information from, and they cared little for the lives of any Stormtroopers lost along the way.

When Ben arrived at the east bay, he had to push his way through a big group of armed and ready to fight Resistance members that somehow didn’t seem to be anywhere near big enough.  They all seemed so young too, younger even then Ben, and he wondered what had made them sign their lives away to join the Resistance in a battle that the Resistance couldn't win alone.

Rey and Finn stood at the front.  Finn had found a blaster that seemed to be a modified Stormtrooper blaster and was gripping it so hard that Ben could practically hear the casing cracking.  Rey was pacing around in front of him with all of the subtlety of a wampa, and Ben was reminded of how fierce she’d been even as an untrained child. Now she had years of training behind her and Ben was yet again glad that she was on his side, and not against him.

And in her hands, was a lightsaber design that Ben hadn’t seen before.  “Is that a double bladed lightsaber?”

Rey ignited the lightsaber, making two long green blades of light shoot out of the hilt in her hands.  “Luke helped me make it. I always fought best with a staff, so this seemed like the best design for me.  Where have you been, anyway?”

Finn pointedly turned away, not wanting to hear that Ben had been with General Hux again, but he turned back to the conversation when Ben purposely skipped over that.  “I came here from the command center. The fleet are holding their own, but it’s only a matter of time before the First Order break through and land. My father is heading up the troops at the west landing bay.”

“General Solo is here?” Rey asked excitedly.  Rey always had enjoyed Han’s short trips to the temple more than Ben had.

“Hopefully we can all take the Falcon out for a spin later, when this is done,” Ben said.  “Han, Chewie, me, you, Finn and Poe.” 

Finn closed his eyes briefly at the mention of Poe’s name, but it seemed to invigorate him as he quickly moved back into a shooting posture.  He looked like he was ready and willing to take on the entire First Order by himself, and Ben thought that if Poe was in trouble, Finn would do exactly that.  It reminded Ben of the promise he’d made Hux before he had left the cells.

Before Ben could fall into thoughts about Hux again, the information panel on the wall starting beeping.  The captain nearest to the screen rapidly accessed the incoming information, and turned to his gathered troops with a frown.  “They’re coming. Blasters to the ready.”

There wasn’t much room in the hangar that led out to the large landing bay, but there weren’t many soldiers either, so it didn’t take long to arrange the troops.  Rey and Ben took charge of the center flank with Finn positioned between them, and a shaky calm descended over everyone as they waited for the First Order ship to land.  

They didn’t have to wait long.

“It’s a small transporter,” Finn explained, “it only carries about forty Stormtroopers.  But as soon as that door opens, they’ll start shooting. There will be smoke too - it’s not poisonous, but it will make it hard to see.”

Ben lit his lightsaber.  He could sense the heartbeat of every Stormtrooper on the transport and he couldn’t help but think about Finn.  Finn had been like those heartbeats, taken from his parents at a young age, trained until he barely thought like a human anymore and then stuffed into shiny white armor.  Meeting Ben had given Finn the opportunity to leave and become more than a mindless, shooting grunt and maybe, some of the Stormtroopers on that transporter would have done the same given the same opportunity.

But as the door opened, Ben knew that there was no time to give them that chance.  The blaster fire came out quicker than even Ben could count, and it was all he could do to divert the blasts that came his way through all of the smoke.  The landing bay filled with screams of pain and the sound of bodies hitting the floor as more and more shots were fired by both sides. Rey was cutting through every Stormtrooper that came within her reach, and any she didn’t kill were quickly finished off by Finn.

Ben concentrated on helping the Resistance members around him.  He diverted and froze blaster shots and knocked countless Stormtroopers into the walls.  There may have been only forty Stormtroopers, but it seemed like so many more. Ben cut down a couple that came to close to him, his ice blue lightsaber making short work of their armor and leaving them in a pile at his feet.

The battle seemed to last both forever and for no time at all, and Ben was glad when it was over.

The Resistance losses had been minimal, thankfully, but Ben knew that shuttle had just been the first of potentially many.  The west landing bay was large enough for several star cruisers to take off at once, so it was large enough for the First Order to deliver thousands of Stormtroopers to D’Qar.  If even only a few Resistance soldiers died with each shuttle that landed, it wouldn’t be long before the First Order overwhelmed them and gained access to the base.

“Get as many of these broken down, grounded X-Wings out of the hangars and onto the landing bay as possible,” Ben shouted.  “If they’re going to land, let’s not make it easy for them by giving them all of this space.”

It irritated Ben that the Resistance soldiers looked to their commander for confirmation before following his order, but at least the commander recognized the sense behind his idea.  Together, they worked to get as much of the landing bay rendered unsuitable for landing as they could. The soldiers dragged out the fighters, and Rey and Ben used the Force to move around as much large debris as they could.

Ben had just placed a large tree across the ground when his comm unit beeped with an incoming call.  “Ben, Holdo told me to call you. You’re covering the west landing bay, right?”

The voice was Poe’s, and he sounded agitated.  Ben could hear the unmistakable sounds of a dogfight happening in the background, and the equally agitated beeping of BB-8.  “What do you need, Poe?”

“We’re losing ground up here, buddy.  The TIE fighters are swarming us and breaking our formations.  We’re spread too thin now to protect the entire base, so we’re going to concentrate on the north of the base, where the shields are.  The anti-aircraft guns have already been taken out, so it’s about to get a lot busier down there for you guys.”

“Thanks for the notice, Poe.  Stay safe up there.”

Before Ben could end the call, Finn walked up to him with pleading eyes and a soft voice.  “Is that Poe? Can I speak to him?”

Ben handed the comm unit to Finn and walked over to where Rey was still wrestling with the placement of a heavy blast door, eager to give Finn and Poe some privacy.  He joined her in lifting and lowering the door into place and felt relieved that he was, at least, doing something. He could sense that his father and Chewbacca were having more fun than they should have been blowing up shuttles and Stormtroopers in the east bay, but his father always had enjoyed the wars more than he’d ever been willing to admit. Han had had a purpose then, something worthwhile and just, and it had suited the smuggler more than any other role ever had.

“Incoming!”  This time it wasn’t the proximity sensors that had spotted the transports coming into land, it had been Rey.  “Three of them this time. Finn?”

Finn switched off the comm unit and threw it back to Ben.  “It looks like two the same size as before, and one larger, carrying maybe one hundred?  So about 180 Stormtroopers in total.”

Ben and Rey shared an uneasy look.  “At least there’s no room for their ships to land like before,” Ben said.  “The shuttles will have to hover and let the Stormtroopers down in smaller numbers.  We need to work quick and pick them off before they hit the ground.”

“Guns at the ready!”

As the shuttles flew lower, there was an almighty explosion that rocked the ground they were all standing on.  Ben’s first desperate thoughts were to check the cells, but he could sense that other for some surface damage, the reinforced cell block had missed the majority of the fighting.  Hux was still safe, still pacing his cell, and still worried about Ben.

The explosion had come from the shields.

“I’m sorry buddy,” Poe said over the comm, “we couldn’t hold them off from the shields any longer.  We’ll try and take as many of these ships down as we can.”

Without the shields and with the naval fleet dwindling by the second, Ben knew it was only a matter of time before the First Order took the base.  But much like Poe, he refused to make it easy for them. The Resistance soldiers were coping admirably with picking off the Stormtroopers one by one as they climbed out of the hovering shuttles, but soon one slipped through, which became two, and then more and more began to set boots upon the ground.  More shuttles were coming in now too, and Ben could recognize the tell tale signs of Flametroopers being deployed too.

Someone had caught Finn in his left arm, the rip in his jacket and the blood dripping from it easy to spot even in the chaos of the landing bay battle. Rey was successfully taking on the Stormtroopers two at a time with her double bladed lightsaber as none of them could tell where her next blow was going to come from.  Ben hit a Stormtrooper in the face with his left elbow and skewered another on his lightsaber, but they just kept coming.

They couldn’t win.  The realization hit Ben like a bantha herd, and could tell that the same thoughts were running through the minds of Rey and Finn too.  Even Han and Chewie, who’d escaped more tight spots than even they could probably remember, could feel the inevitable loss coming closer.

It was seeing Rey collapse from a blaster shot to her side that made Ben realize exactly how near the end was.  It had been a lucky shot from a Stormtrooper that radiated surprise at being able to hit anything at all, but the blast had caused enough damage to Rey that she couldn’t get back up. Finn immediately ran to her side, still shooting with his right hand as his left checked her vital signs. She was stable, Ben knew, but the wound was in a dangerous place and was rapidly bleeding out.  Rey needed medical help sooner, rather than later. 

The Stormtroopers were swarming the landing bay now, falling into battle formations that were only broken by having to avoid the damaged fighters and debris that the Resistance had littered the bay with.  The Resistance themselves were being backed into a corner, their dwindling numbers the only thing standing between the First Order and breeching the base itself. Ben was using the Force to keep them back as much as he could, but there were too many, even for him.  He could only slow them, not stop them, and for every Stormtrooper that was felled by a shot from a Resistance blaster, there were ten more behind them.

The Resistance was making its last stand, both on the ground and in the air.

Ben closed his eyes and concentrated his mind on the blue lightsaber he held.  His right hand seemed to move on it’s own accord as it counteracted any blaster shot that came his way without Ben even being conscious of his actions.  It was the Force - he didn’t need to see or think, he could just feel.

Then suddenly, the sky was on fire.

The Stormtroopers were as surprised by the red clouds burning above them as Ben, and numerous white helmeted faces looked to the sky as if the answer to what was burning was written there.  The fire was too fierce and too large to be an X-Wing. There was only one thing it could be.

“It’s a star destroyer,” Ben said aloud.  “It has to be.”

Ben took the momentary distraction of the Stormtroopers as a chance to get his comm unit out of his pocket.  “Poe! What’s happening up there?”

“Ben!  Are you guys still hanging in there?”

The sound of Poe’s voice seemed to rally all of the Resistance members that heard it and Ben found that it had a similar effect on him too.  “Barely! Did you guys get a star destroyer?”

“No, we didn’t.  The Galactic Senate did.”

Ben could see it now.  The sky was no longer full of tired X-Wings and the overwhelming might of the First Order alone, it was now also full of the powerful, organized and deadly fleet of the Galactic Senate.  

Leia had done it.  She’d made the Senate listen to her, and they’d come to the aid of the Resistance.

Things changed quickly after that.  With the X-Wings and light fighters from the Senate making low, diving runs to shoot at the Stormtroopers on the ground and the lack of instruction from the star destroyers, the Stormtroopers were no longer the threat they had been.  Their formation broke, they were slow on the trigger, and were being shot at from both the ground and the air. It didn’t take long.

When the smoke had cleared and the only battle that remained was the one in the air, the remaining Resistance members took a moment to get their breath back and reflect, before they started the arduous and messy task of clearing the landing bay.  The Resistance medics were soon on the scene to help the wounded, and Ben was quick to direct them to where Finn was kneeling over the still unconscious Rey.

She would be fine.  Finn was fine. Poe was still flying and shooting as he helped clean up the last of the First Order’s fleet, but the Force told Ben that he would be fine too.  He could sense his father and Chewbacca having a petty argument on the west bay over who had shot the most Stormtroopers, and his mother and uncle standing together on the flagship of the Galactic Senate’s fleet.  Hux was pacing his cell with Ben’s book clutched to his chest, nervous about what was happening, but somehow certain that Ben had survived.

So many people had died in the attack, on all sides, but everyone Ben cared about had made it out alive.  

The Resistance members were already making good headway at clearing the landing bay so that the fleet could return, so Ben decided to leave and check up on Rey in the medbay.  He found her lightsaber lying in a pile of rubble and picked it up, marvelling at how light it felt compared to his own, despite it being double bladed. It only had one crystal in it though, and had obviously been made by hands more delicate and knowing than his own. He clipped Rey’s lightsaber next to his own, and made his way through the halls.

**

Ben had just reached the corridor outside the medbay when he heard his father call his name.  Han came running up, Chewbacca just behind him, with concern written all over his face. His face was dirtied by the dust and smoke of battle, but Ben was relieved to sense that Han’s only injury was a bruise on his foot from accidentally dropping a thermal detonator onto it.

“Ben, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Dad.”  Han’s sigh of relief was audible, even in the bustling corridor.  “I just came to see Rey. She took a nasty blast to her side but should be fine.”

“Glad to hear it, son.  I didn’t think we were all going to make it out in one piece.”  Chewbacca growled in anger, causing Han to quickly turn around and continue his earlier argument with his co-pilot.  “You’re still in one piece! That Stormtrooper barely even got past your fur! Your arm is not going to fall off, no matter how many times you say it will.”

Suddenly Ben was a child again and in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, listening with amusement as Han and Chewie bickered about nothing in particular.  “I’m sure they’ll look at your arm in the medbay, Uncle Chewie.”

Chewbacca grunted out a thank you to Ben and tapped him on the head with his good arm, before glaring at Han as he walked into the medbay. Ben was just about to follow the wookie in when his father grabbed him by the arm and dragged him further down the corridor and out of the hearing range of anyone.

“Listen kid, I just spoke to your mother.  There’s one last star destroyer up there that the Galactic Senate have got cornered.  They’re trying to talk the remaining First Order officers into surrendering, but if they don’t, the Senate are prepared to blow that destroyer out of the sky too.”

“Okay…” Ben said.  He was glad that Han was updating him on what was happening, but he wasn’t quite sure why.

“When the Senate has finished dealing with that star destroyer, they’re going to land at the base and they’re going to start questioning people.  It might be a good idea if certain people aren’t on the base when the Senate do arrive.”

Ben’s eyes widened.  Hux. If the Senate found him in the cells, they would undoubtedly take him into custody and question him about everything he knew.  It would only be a matter of time before the questions would be over, and Hux would be on trial for everything he’d done so far. Ben also knew that if Hux was the only senior officer that the Senate were able to take alive, it was likely that they’d pin more than just the crimes Hux had committed onto him.

“I’ll take the Falcon and…”

Han shook his head.  “Not the Falcon. It’s too famous, and besides, it’s my baby,” Han smiled.  “Take the shuttle Chewie and I used for our mission. It’s fast, reliable and unmarked.  It has a copy of the Falcon’s navicom, plus information on all of the planets in the Unknown Regions that we staked out over the last six months.”

Ben wondered if the shuttle’s navicom would have the records of any planets with green islands, but pushed that thought out of his mind.  “We’d never make it past the Senate ships. They won’t let any ships through the blockade they have up there.”

“I’m sure there’s a couple of people on the Senate flagship that could find a way to distract everyone for long enough to let one, little shuttle slip by.”

For a second Ben couldn’t speak because there was a lump in his throat that was making it hard to swallow.  He felt his eyes water, but refused to give into the emotions that were swirling around inside of him. His mother and uncle were willing to help him escape with Hux, but it was so much more than that too.  There had always been an air of disappointment clouding Leia’s interactions with Ben and it had grown and grown as she’d realized that Ben could never fulfil the roles she’d set out for him when he was still a child.

Leia hadn’t agreed with any of Ben’s choices in life.  She had been angry when he’d left the temple, worried when he’d resorted to smuggling, and disappointed when he’d shown no aptitude for the Senate or leading the Resistance.  Eventually she’d stopped trying to influence him, and had instead made her dismay at his aimless life more than evident.

But something had shifted over the last couple of days.  Ben had felt it. It was as if Leia had finally seen Ben for what he was, not what he wasn’t, and that she was willing to help him escape with Hux and find his own way in the universe was more than Ben could have ever hoped for from her.

The shift hadn’t been one sided, either.  Ben felt like he finally understood his mother for the first time in his life too, and that the failings in their relationship had been as much his, as they had been hers.

“Thanks, Dad,” Ben said, the words not coming out as strongly as he would have liked.  “I should say goodbye to Rey before I go.”

Han shook his head.  “There’s no time, Ben.  Get your general and get out of here.”

“I can’t leave her again, not without saying goodbye….”

“She’ll understand,” Han interrupted.  “She understood the first time you left her, and she’ll understand this time.  I’ll speak to her.”

Ben unclipped Rey’s lightsaber from his belt and handed it to Han.  He was no good at goodbyes, and his father had always been worse, so after one quick hug and a few muttered farewells, Ben rushed to the cells, picking up a couple of extra weapons along the way.

**

The corridor leading to the cells had received some fire, but Ben was relieved to see that the cell block itself was still standing.  The walls had been reinforced with offcuts of durasteel when the Resistance had first moved into the base, and Ben was glad of that foreplanning.  Hux’s cell door was still jammed shut, but it didn’t take Ben long to break it open with the Force, even in his tired state.

As soon as Ben walked into the cell Hux rushed to meet him in a hug that nearly knocked Ben off his feet.  He allowed himself to relax into Hux’s arms for only a few seconds before he pulled far enough away that he could look Hux in his tired face.  Hux didn’t let go of him though, and Ben never wanted him to.

“We need to go,” Ben explained.  “Now.”

“Are the Senate here for me?”

Ben answered without thinking.  “Yes.”

He felt Hux stiffen in his arms before breaking the embrace.  Hux stood before him, his posture rigid, face blank, and once again looking every inch the general he had been when Ben had first met him.  Sure, the First Order uniform had been consigned to the furnace days ago and replaced by Resistance leftovers, the hair was loose and sloppy and Hux hadn’t seen a razor blade in a week, but he’d never looked more like a general.  Hux was going to meet the Senate with pride and respect, just like he’d said he would.

Ben quickly clarified things.  “They’re not here yet, but they will be soon. That’s why we need to leave.”

Hux hardly seemed to believe what he was hearing.  “We’re… escaping?”

Ben nodded.  “Together.”

There were a million questions racing through Hux’s mind, but he knew better than to voice them at that time. The urgency of the situation was plain in both Ben’s tone of voice and the pleading look on his face, and Hux paused only to grab Ben’s book from where it lay upon on the table before he nodded his agreement.

When Ben smirked at him as he shoved the book into his pants pocket, Hux simply muttered an embarrassed “...shut up.”

Ben handed Hux one of the blasters he’d picked up on his way to the cells, took him by the hand and quickly lead him to the hangars.  There were too many injured and too much clearing up to be done for anyone to care about the smaller hangars that lay on the outskirts of the base, so it meant that Ben and Hux could make the journey from the cells to the hangar that housed Han’s shuttle without being seen.

The shuttle itself was a surprise.  Even Hux gave it an appreciative whistle when he saw it, although Ben could see the tell tale signs that Han had used it as there were dents and scratches that a shuttle that new and that fast shouldn’t have yet.  There was also a suspicious looking patch of blue stickiness on one of the wings, but as it wouldn’t affect how the shuttle flew, Ben chose to ignore it.

The inside of the shuttle was even more Han than the outside.  There was junk everywhere, from weapons to energy sources, to broken down droids, and Ben had no doubt that Han had planned to sell every last scrap as soon as he was able to get away from playing at respectability with the Resistance.  Hux’s eyes roamed over the junk with appreciation, and Ben could sense that his engineer brain was already brainstorming things he could make with it all.

Ben hoped that none of it was weapons.

“You can fly this?” Hux asked.

“I can fly anything,” Ben answered with pride.

“I guess you’re the pilot then,” Hux replied.  “Where are we going?”

Hux still had more questions than Ben had answers to, and he was still doing his best not to voice them.  Ben could tell that Hux didn’t truly believe that they’d be able to escape together, and seemed even more shocked that Ben was willing to do so, but now that he’d been offered salvation Hux’s self preservation streak had kicked in.  He was willing to trust in Ben’s plan, which just showed how much he’d come to trust Ben.

“First, we need to get past the Galactic Senate’s fleet, then we can worry about that.”

Hux sank down into the co-pilot’s seat and felt the little optimism he had slowly float away.  “Do you have a plan for how we’re going to do that? I can’t imagine they’ll just let us go.”

The shuttle’s engines sprang to life under Ben’s hands as he turned to Hux with a smile that he hoped would be reassuring.  “We have help.”

“Someone is helping you escape?”

Ben placed his hand on Hux’s knee.  “Some people are helping us escape,” Ben corrected.

“...Why?  I don’t deserve to escape.”

Ben thought about it for a few moments as the shuttle took to the air and he flew it out of the hangar.  Leia was aware of Ben’s feelings for Hux and had definitely softened her attitude towards Hux when she had discovered that he’d told Ben the location of Starkiller Base.  He could sense that Luke had told her how Hux had saved Ben by giving him that information, but even that didn’t seem enough to facilitate such a radical action from her.

Ben and Hux remained silent as the ships of the Galactic Senate came into view.  Ben could just about see the sharp angles of the sole First Order star destroyer that still flew, but Hux didn’t seem to notice it.  Ben was glad of that. He could also see the Senate’s flagship, and clearly felt the Force signatures of Leia and Luke upon it.

Then he understood everything.  Apart from a few ships that had escaped, the First Order’s fleet had been destroyed.  The Resistance had suffered heavy losses too, both in the air and on the ground. The war between the Resistance and First Order was over, and it had already claimed thousands of lives that day. It didn’t need to claim another, even if it was General Hux.  

Leia had overseen enough deaths in her life.  She didn’t want to add the only person her son had ever fallen in love with.

The shuttle passed through the Senate’s fleet without any issues.

“We need to get out of here as soon as we can,” Ben said when he could finally breathe again, “the navicom should have plenty of places to choose from.  If we don’t like where we land, we’ll just try somewhere else.”

“We’re really going to do this?” Hux asked.  “Just me and you, out in the galaxy on our own together?”

“I can take you back if you want,” Ben said, covering his nerves at Hux’s question with a joke and fake laugh.

Hux’s fingers were quickly dancing across the screen of the navicon, giving himself a valid excuse to not look Ben in the eye.  He didn’t know if he could. “You’re leaving so much behind.”

Ben took one of Hux’s hands away from the screen and held it between his own.  If he didn’t know better, he’d swear that Hux’s hands were shaking. “Not as much as I’m taking with me.”

Hux finally did look at him then.  Hux’s eyes had never looked more beautiful than they had right then, soft with unshed emotion and with all of space reflected in them.  “I hope you made the right choice,” he whispered, before blindly choosing a planet in the navicom.

With a destination picked, it took the shuttle mere seconds to make the calculations needed for Ben to make the jump to hyperspace.  As the shuttle made the jump, Hux leaned over and kissed Ben, the stars surrounding them becoming nothing more than streaks of hope that painted the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's the end of the actual story! _throws confetti_  
>  The last chapter is an epilogue, and I'm probably going to update that this weekend, as I don't think it needs a weeks wait.
> 
> This was a tricky chapter to write because I don't like writing battle scenes. I did, however, LOVE writing Han and Chewbacca, and need to write an entire fic of their adventures and bickering.
> 
> As always, thanks for all of your support. I hope you enjoyed the ending.


	17. Epilogue

Hux awoke to the feeling of two suns shining straight into his eyes.  It had been the same routine every morning of the last four months, and he still hadn’t become used to it.  After so many years on a star destroyer with only artificial lighting for company, the presence of not one, but two suns was something he was immensely grateful for.  Although really, he was grateful just to still be breathing.

He inched back on the bed a little expecting to meet the brick wall that was Ren, but then he remembered that Ren was off world on a vital supplies run.  It was unusual for Hux to wake alone, as even if the other man did wake first he was more than content to remain under the covers and watch Hux sleep. Hux, who had been unaccustomed to sharing his bed with anyone had found that strange at first, but like many things concerning Ren, he now found it strangely endearing.

Hux got out of bed, dressed in one of only three outfits he owned, stuffed his feet in his boots and shuffled over to the crudely made but functional caf machine he’d constructed out of the spare parts on the shuttle he and Ren had escaped on.  Once he was satisfied that the machine was taking care of things, he allowed his mind to wander.

Ren had been gone for three days.  When he’d left, he’d told Hux that he didn’t expect to be gone any longer than that and to expect him to return sometime around midday.  Hux felt a glimmer of expectation start to build inside him. He’d missed Ren. More than he had thought he would.

He’d expected to miss Ren, of course.  Other than for the weird creatures that inhabited the island, most of which seemed to dislike Hux immensely for all of the modifications and improvements he’d made to the place, Ren had been his only company.  But it was more than that. It wasn’t just human companionship that Hux had missed, it had been Ren himself. Whether it was the man’s capacity to eat the largest meal in only two bites, his inane and rambling cantina stories, his always burning hot body yet cold as ice feet, or that lopsided grin that had charmed Hux so well, Hux had missed all of him. 

Hux shook himself out of his melancholy, filled a canteen with the still boiling hot caf and went outside.  He’d been working on a mechanism to catch some of the fish that circled the island and decided to distract himself by continuing his work.  That the best fishing spot was near the flat stone plateau they’d been using as a landing bay, was mere coincidence.

The morning was quiet, as mornings always were, and Hux’s only companions were those odd little birds that could be found everywhere. Hux had taken a strange liking to them, something that Ren teased him endlessly about, and he was glad to see them as he continued walking down to the fishing area.

Hux spent the morning surrounded by wires and cages as he tried to fit together an automated trapping system, only occasionally hampered by a curious bird, porgs, according to Ren, running away with one of his tools. He paused for lunch, his eyes permanently trained on the sky in the hope of seeing Ren coming home to him. The positions of the suns in the sky showed that midday had long since passed when Hux picked up his tools again, and he carried on with his work hoping to distract himself while he still waited for Ren.

When those same suns began to set and the light began to fade, Hux stopped his work but remained where he was.  He sat back on the grass, the makeshift landing bay only feet away, and felt his worries begin to grow. Had something gone wrong?  Had Ren suffered an injury? Hux had seen first hand how capable Ren was in a fight thanks to both the Force and his own physical gifts, but he wasn’t invincible.

Soon it was dark, and Hux cursed himself for not bringing a light with him. Going back to the ring of stone huts that he now called home was going to be dangerous in the dark, although Hux found that he didn’t want to go back at all.  He didn’t want to face another lonely night without Ren.

He cursed again.  When had he become so needy?  He had been the most fearsome general in the First Order for kriff’s sake, since when had he needed someone with him to feel whole?

Hux lay back on the grass and stared at the sky above him.  There weren’t many stars in the sky in this part of the galaxy as it was too remote, but those that were visible shone far brighter than any he had ever seen from the bridge of the Finalizer.  A part of Hux still missed his ship and the life he’d had upon it. The respect, the order, the sheer number of people he had commanded… it had been difficult at first to consider a life without it all. He hadn’t thought he’d have a life at all at one point and had considered his life forfeit, as something that was going to be snuffed out by the hands of a New Republic executioner.

But Ren had saved him.  Ren had given him this life, as simple as it may be, and Ren had helped him adjust.  

This didn’t need to be Ren’s life though.  Hux was in exile and hiding from a regime that wanted to execute him, but Ren had no such bounty on his head.  Ren had a loving family and friends in the New Republic, and Hux couldn’t help but worry that maybe, Ren’s lateness was because he had decided he didn’t want to be an exile anymore.  There was no reason for Ren to stay on this desolate island with only Hux and a menagerie of strange creatures for comfort - Ren could go anywhere.

Why would he stay?

Hux closed his eyes.  He had no idea how long he stayed there like that, just lying in the grass listening to the strangely soothing calls of the island’s birds.  Maybe he fell asleep, or maybe he just dozed, but when he came back to consciousness it was to the familiar sounds of an approaching shuttle.

The landing lights of the shuttle were painful to his accustomed to the dark eyes and he squinted at the shuttle, eager to put his mind at rest.  It was difficult to see the model, or any markings at first, and for a few moments his heart was in his mouth as he couldn’t recognize it. Then it came close enough for him to recognize the dents and scratch marks along the side, and that unique and still unidentified blue stain that they never had quite been able to get rid of.

It was Ren, and he was home.

Hux made his way over to the landing bay, his heart wanting to get there as quickly as possible, but his brain convincing his feet to walk slowly as it was too dark and too treacherous to rush.  It would take time for Ren to finish the landing procedures anyway, Hux had time.

When the shuttle’s door finally opened, Hux was waiting.  Ren looked tired when he stepped out, his head was hanging down, his feet shuffled in small, uneasy footsteps, and his hair looked like he hadn’t washed it since he’d left Hux three days ago, but as soon as he saw Hux waiting, all of his tiredness seemed to evaporate.  Ren’s smile was so bright that it shone brighter than even two suns ever could, and he was soon running into Hux’s arms.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” Ren whispered.  “It took longer than expected to find that tea you like.”

Hux didn’t care why Ren was late, he was just glad he was back.  Their lips met in a slow, lazy kiss that Hux swore he could feel all the way through to his fingertips, and from the shudder than ran down Ren’s spine, it was obvious that Ren had missed this too.

Hux smiled against Ren’s skin.  “I’m just glad you’re back.”

“Where else would I want to be?”

Hux pushed his fears that Ren had left him in order to return home to his family and friends out of his mind.  “How was the space port?”

“Busy,” Ren replied.  “I managed to find some news reports about the Battle of D’Qar though.”

Hux snorted.  “Is that what they’re calling it?”

“Do you want the bad news, or the good news?”

Hux considered Ren’s question for a few moments, his mind ticking over as he kissed Ren once again.  When he pulled away, he was pleased to see a light flush across Ren’s cheeks. “Tell me the bad news.”

“Some of the First Order officers managed to escape, and they’re currently being hunted down.  They didn’t get Snoke either.”

Hux’s eyes widened.  “Does that mean Snoke could speak to you again?”

Ren’s arms tightened around him and he buried his nose in Hux’s hair.  He loved Hux’s hair like this - clean and free of any product. It was so soft to the touch, and after four months under the sun, the color had only intensified.  “No, there’s no room for him in my mind anymore.”

“I don’t understand.”“I don’t either, not fully,” Ren admitted, “but it’s this island.  The temple and those books that we found here aren’t just early relics of the jedi, Hux. They’re the first. The original jedis came to this island because it was strongly balanced in both sides of the Force, and they believed that jedi needed that balance.  The dark side is nothing to be afraid of, unless you make it that way. I’m not afraid of my darkness anymore, and I think that it was in that fear that Snoke found a place.  No fear, no Snoke.”

Hux still didn’t fully understand, but he knew that he could live a lifetime and never fully understand the Force.  If Ren thought that everything was fine and that Snoke was no longer a threat, no matter where he was, then Hux would believe him.

“And the good news?”

“You’re officially dead.”

“What?”

“You’re on the official list of people that died during the battle,” Ren explained, punctuating each word with a kiss.  “You’re dead, so nobody is ever going to be looking for you. I mean, we’d still have to be careful just in case someone recognizes you from the First Order propaganda holos, but there’s no wanted posters with your face on, no bounty hunters searching for you, and no civilian is going to look at you twice, especially as you kept the beard.”

“I’m free, just like that?” Hux said, barely able to comprehend what Ren was telling him.  “We don’t have to stay here?”

“No.  My mother told everyone you died.  It would be best to stay in the Outer Rim or Unknown Regions, but we don’t have to stay here.  If you want to leave, we can.”

Hux smiled at Ren and took him by the hand, silently leading him back to their living quarters.  Ren raised a quizzical eyebrow but said nothing, content to merely follow wherever Hux wanted to lead him.  Ren would be happy anywhere as long as he had Hux by his side, and he hoped that the redhead knew that. He had told Hux enough times, but he could never be sure if Hux actually believed him.

They both remained silent as Hux dragged Ren into the hut that had been designated as their bedroom, and Ren obeyed without question when Hux pushed him onto their bed and crawled in next to him.  They lay there, wrapped around each other, just as they had for the last four months.

“Honestly Ren,” Hux muttered, his breath ghosting across the open neck of Ren’s shirt as his head burrowed into Ren’s thick shoulder, “there’s nowhere in the galaxy I want to be more than here.”

Ren sighed in relief and used the Force to pull the covers over them both. “Then here we’ll stay.”

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason this epilogue was the hardest part of the entire story to write, and it took four complete rewrites before I had something I was even remotely happy with. Originally there were going to be more characters in it than just Ben and Hux, and there would be more information about what the others were doing, but somehow, I think it works better this way.
> 
> (In case anyone is interested, Poe, Finn and the might of the Galactic Senate army are concentrating on those Outer Rim/Unknown Region planets the First Order enslaved. The Stormtroopers are given the option to renounce the First Order and enter into a New Republic integration program, devised by Finn, and the residents of the planet are given aid to try and recover their lives. This is Leia's doing, as she's poised to take over the Senate any day now.
> 
> Luke and Rey are still jedi and still searching for Force sensitives. Luke has reevaluated some of the jedi training techniques and doesn't separate young children from their families anymore - the families come too. Master Rey has her own padawans and they all adore her.
> 
> Eventually Ben and Hux leave Ahch-To for an outpost in the Outer Rim, but they do take Hux's pet porg Millicent with them.)
> 
> Thanks to everyone for reading and sticking with this, regardless of whether you started at chapter 1 or chapter 16. It truly means a lot to me.
> 
> Here are some wonderful arts!  
> From chapter 7 by [Katie's Ghost](http://katiesghosts.tumblr.com/post/179150456044/commission-for-rosensilence-and-her-story-the)  
> From chapter 15 by [Ninpotato](https://ninpotato.tumblr.com/post/175445520338/soooo-chapter-15-of-rosensilences-smuggler)

**Author's Note:**

> Come and say hi on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/rosensilence) or [Tumblr!](http://rosensilence.tumblr.com/)


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